Strickland Just Shocked the World Again

Well I picked Chimaev by submission in the second or third round. I said Strickland's body would break under five rounds of wrestling pressure. I said Chimaev would take the back and lock in a choke while Strickland was too gassed from sprawling to fight the hands.

And none of that happened. Strickland won by split decision. Chimaev lost for the first time in his career. And I was dead wrong man.

Let me go more in depth on the story of this fight because it was one round that changed everything.

Round 1 Went Exactly How We Said It Would

Chimaev took Strickland down immediately. Got his back. Hunted submissions for five minutes. Controlled the round from start to finish. Strickland spent most of the first round on his back looking up at the ceiling of the Prudential Center while the champion worked from top position.

If you watched round 1 and turned the TV off, you'd think the prediction was going to be perfect. Chimaev was doing exactly what we said he'd do. Wrestling. Back control. Submission hunting. The gameplan was working. The champion looked dominant. The 15-0 aura was fully intact.

Then round 2 started and the fight became a completely different fight.

Round 2 Changed Everything

Strickland came out and started landing jabs. Clean ones. The kind that snap your head back and let you know the other guy isn't intimidated anymore. He kept the fight standing. Chimaev was patient, waiting for his moment to shoot.

When Chimaev finally went for the takedown, Strickland stuffed it. Heavy hips. Solid base. And then he did something nobody expected. He reversed position and put Chimaev on HIS back.

Khamzat Chimaev. The man who'd never been on his back in the UFC. The man who'd controlled every opponent he'd ever faced on the ground. That man was suddenly looking up at Sean Strickland working from inside his guard.

Strickland started landing punches from top position. Ground and pound from the guy everyone assumed would be the one getting ground and pounded. With about two minutes left, Strickland let Chimaev back up. And that's when you could see it.

Chimaev was gassed.

The weight cut combined with the pace from round 1 had drained him. CBS Sports said his "intimidating aura was noticeably absent" by the end of the second round. The man who walked to the cage looking like the most dangerous fighter on earth was breathing heavy and slowing down with three rounds still to go.

Strickland smelled it. Everyone in the building smelled it. The round ended with Strickland in dominant position and suddenly we had ourselves a fight.

The Championship Rounds

Round 3 was all striking. Strickland got the better of the exchanges. His volume was relentless. Jabs, crosses, body shots. The output that makes Strickland one of the most exhausting fighters to stand in front of. Chimaev landed some power shots and drew blood from Strickland's nose but the output gap was clear. Strickland was throwing more and landing more consistently.

Chimaev found a second wind in round 4. He started landing right hands to the head and going to the body as he walked forward. After almost two rounds of striking, he secured another takedown late in the fourth and held Strickland's back until the bell. That round probably saved him from losing a wider decision.

Round 5 was chaos. Chimaev shot for an immediate takedown and took Strickland's back. Strickland scrambled out. They went back to the feet. Strickland landed sharp jabs. Chimaev pressed forward with power shots. Neither man had a dominant moment. The round was close enough that you could've scored it either way.

The scorecards came back 48-47 Strickland. 47-48 Chimaev. 48-47 Strickland.

Split decision. New champion. Chimaev's first loss. 15-0 is officially 15-1.

Chimaev Stormed Out

After the decision was read, Chimaev left the cage immediately. No handshake. No congratulations. No respect moment. He walked out of the Octagon and disappeared backstage while Strickland celebrated becoming a two time middleweight champion.

I get the frustration. Chimaev has never lost. He's been dominant his entire career. Split decisions sting because by definition one judge had you winning. But storming out without acknowledging the new champion isn't the look. Especially when you spent the entire fight week threatening to kill the guy and making it as personal as possible.

All that talk from both sides during fight week. Chimaev saying Strickland would "be dead already." Strickland threatening to bring a gun. The "third world dog" comments. The hotel lobby confrontations. Five days of threats and chaos and then when the bell rang and the cards were read, Chimaev walked out the back door without a word.

Strickland stayed. And what he did next was maybe the most surprising moment of the entire night.

The Apology Nobody Saw Coming

Sean Strickland. The man who called Chimaev a "third world dog." The man who threatened to bring a gun to fight week. The man who has said things publicly that would get most people permanently banned from polite society.

That man grabbed the microphone and apologized.

"That motherf***er would not go back. I'm hitting him with everything and he just keeps coming forward. Crazy. He may have broken my nose."

Then he apologized to fans of "all nations, creeds and religions" for the things he said during fight week.

I'm going to be honest. I did not see that coming from Strickland. The man has built his entire persona on being unapologetically offensive. And in the moment of his biggest career achievement, he went babyface. He gave Chimaev credit. He acknowledged the damage Chimaev did to him. And he said sorry for crossing lines that he chose to cross during the buildup.

Whether that lasts or whether Strickland goes back to being Strickland by next week is anybody's guess. But in the moment? That was real. You could see it on his face. He meant it.

Where We Were Wrong

I owe you honesty on this because I was wrong and I don't pretend I was right when I wasn't.

We said Chimaev's wrestling advantage was too big. Strickland reversed takedowns in round 2 and changed the trajectory of the fight. The wrestling advantage existed but it wasn't insurmountable. When Strickland got his hips under him and fought the hands, Chimaev couldn't maintain control.

We said Strickland's body would break under the pressure. Strickland's cardio was BETTER than Chimaev's. The man who spent the first round on his back was still throwing volume in the fifth round while Chimaev was visibly fatigued. Strickland is 35 years old and outcardio'd a 32 year old champion who was supposed to drown him.

We said the submission would come in round 2 or 3. Chimaev never came close to a submission after round 1. Once Strickland proved he could reverse position and fight off the back, the submission threat disappeared. Chimaev spent the championship rounds trying to survive Strickland's output, not hunting for chokes.

The thing we got most wrong was the mental side. We assumed Strickland would fight emotionally because of the beef. Instead he fought smart. Patient, technical. He survived round 1, adapted in round 2, and executed for three straight rounds. That's championship fighting. And Strickland did it as a massive underdog for the second time in his career.

Two Time

Sean Strickland is now a two time UFC middleweight champion. The first time he won it, he upset Adesanya at UFC 293 in 2023 and nobody believed it would last. He lost it to du Plessis at UFC 297. People said it was a fluke. One good night. Lightning in a bottle.

Last night he proved it wasn't a fluke. He went into Newark as a massive underdog against an undefeated champion who'd been steamrolling everyone in the division. He survived the wrestling. He reversed position. He outworked Chimaev on the feet. He won a split decision. And he did it while bleeding from a nose that might be broken.

Two title wins. Both as a massive underdog. Both against champions nobody thought he could beat. That's not luck. That's Sean Strickland being better than people think he is when the lights are brightest.

The most controversial fighter in MMA just apologized to the world and won back his belt in the same night. What a sport man. What a sport.

Thanks for riding with CageLore. Stay locked in!

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened in the UFC 328 main event?

Sean Strickland defeated Khamzat Chimaev by split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) to become the two time UFC middleweight champion. It was Chimaev's first professional loss, ending his 15-0 undefeated streak.

How did Strickland win?

Chimaev dominated round 1 with wrestling and back control. In round 2, Strickland stuffed takedowns, reversed position, and put Chimaev on his back. Chimaev appeared gassed after the early wrestling pace. Strickland won rounds 2, 3, and 5 on two of three judges' scorecards with superior volume striking and cardio.

Did Chimaev storm out after the fight?

Yes. After the split decision was announced, Chimaev left the cage immediately without shaking Strickland's hand or acknowledging the result. He disappeared backstage while Strickland celebrated in the Octagon.

Did Strickland really apologize?

Yes. After winning the belt, Strickland apologized to fans of "all nations, creeds and religions" for the things he said during fight week. He also gave Chimaev credit saying "that motherf***er would not go back" and acknowledged that Chimaev may have broken his nose.

What is Strickland's record now?

Strickland improved to 32-7 and is now a two time UFC middleweight champion. He previously won the title by upsetting Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in September 2023 before losing it to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297.

What is Chimaev's record now?

Chimaev is now 15-1. The loss to Strickland was the first of his professional career across 16 fights. He had previously won all 15 of his professional bouts with 10 consecutive UFC victories.

Will there be a rematch?

No rematch has been announced but given the split decision result and the intensity of the rivalry, a rematch is likely. Chimaev will almost certainly receive an immediate rematch clause as the former champion.