Sean Strickland reclaimed the UFC middleweight title after earning a split-decision victory over previously unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev in the UFC 328 main event on Saturday night at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.
Strickland’s steady pressure and championship-round composure helped him secure another major upset in a title fight—the first one being a unanimous decision win over Israel Adesanya to capture the middleweight crown for the first time at UFC 293.
Following Saturday’s result, Chimaev was all respect, wrapping the belt around Strickland inside the Octagon. “Borz” suffered the first loss of his professional career, dropping to 15-1. As for Strickland, he improved to 31-7, marking his second straight victory.
See the full UFC 328 results here.
UFC 328 main event official scorecard
Judges Eric Colon and Sal D’Amato scored the fight 48-47 for Strickland, giving him rounds 1, 4, and 5. Judge Sue Sanidad saw it for Chimaev by the same score. The key difference came down to the final round, which Sanidad awarded to Chimaev.
Not all fans and pundits agreed with the result, with many pointing to the fact that Chimaev outstruck Strickland on the official stats—although those numbers don’t always reflect damage or effective control.