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Sean Strickland of UFC

In the main event of UFC 328, Sean Strickland defeated Khamzat Chimaev to become the new UFC middleweight champion. It was an extremely close fight that could have gone either way, but in the end, Strickland won a split decision with 47-48, 48-47, and 48-47 scorecards.

Sean Strickland Defeats Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328

The two rivals surprisingly touched gloves to kick off the fight. In Round 1, Chimaev took Strickland down to the mat immediately and then essentially controlled him for the first five minutes with his dominant ground game. 10-9 Chimaev in R1 on our card.

In the second round, Chimaev and Strickland began to trade in the center of the cage. Chimaev then tried to take Strickland down, but Strickland stopped the takedown and got on top. He was then able to land some big shots on Chimaev and win the round, as Chimaev looked completely gassed. 10-9 Strickland in R2.

The third round was very close as both men stood and traded, with very little wrestling. It was a close round that could have gone either way, but we’ll go with Strickland for landing more strikes. 10-9 Strickland in R3.

In Round 4, Chimaev started to land more punches on Strickland and damage his face. He then secured a takedown late in the round to seal it. 10-9 Chimaev in R4.

In Round 5, Chimaev got a takedown early on and was able to control Strickland. The challenger got back up and then started to land some jabs, but Chimaev kept pushing forward and landed shots. 10-9 Chimaev in R5.

Our scorecard: 48-47 Khamzat Chimaev. Very close fight, but we think he edged it out.

Judges’ scorecards: 48-47 Chimaev, 48-47 Strickland, and 48-47 Strickland. Sean Strickland wins via Split Decision to become the new UFC middleweight champion.

What’s Next For Sean Strickland After UFC 328?

This was a massive upset, as Strickland was a +400 underdog to win it. He was not expected to be in this position, but now he is a two-time UFC middleweight champion, and he just became the first man to beat Chimaev in his MMA career.

Since the fight was so close, there is a chance the UFC could grant Chimaev an immediate rematch, even though they typically don’t for champions who lose their belt in their first title defense. But Chimaev fought a solid fight and made it very close, so there is a chance the UFC runs this back.

If not, then Strickland has some other challengers waiting in the wings for him at 185 lbs. A rematch with Nassourdine Imavov, who Strickland beat in a 205 lbs fight a few years ago, is intriguing, as is a rematch against Brendan Allen. There are also fights against Joe Pyfer and Caio Borralho that are new and interesting.

But because of how close this fight was, a rematch would be the best thing. This was one of the biggest grudge matches of all time in the UFC, and it truly lived up to the hype as it was an amazing fight between two of the best middleweights that the sport of MMA has ever seen.