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Sean Strickland pulled off one of the greatest upsets in recent memory as he stunned the formerly unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev to claim the UFC Middleweight Championship at UFC 328 in Newark on May 9th. The brash American was a 4/1 underdog when he made his way to the Octagon, and when the Chechen began with wrestling dominance in round one, it appeared as though it would be business as usual for the defending champion. Then, the California native flipped the script.
Strickland Shocks the World Again
Leading 5Gringos online sportsbook priced Chimaev as short as -800 after round one, but in a bizarre round two, it was clear that his championship reign was in jeopardy. “Borz” shot for one of his traditional takedowns but appeared devoid of the usual explosiveness that had bested so many men before. Strickland stuffed it, and the champion immediately pulled guard as opposed to trying to get back to his feet. The challenger didn’t need a second invitation to pile on the pressure and claim the round.
In round three, Chimaev’s gas tank appeared empty, and he was peppered with jabs by the resurgent underdog. However, he would find his second wind in round four, constantly advancing forward as he looked to seize the initiative back from Strickland. The consensus was that whoever won round five would win the fight, and the judges clearly saw it that way as well, with all three of them scoring the fight 2-2 after four.
In the fifth, Chimaev was advancing once more. He landed two takedowns but did very little with them, and Strickland was back on his feet within seconds on both occasions. Then, it was the American who landed the better shots, continually pounding away with that left jab as he attempted to scrape past the fearsome champion with a razor-thin victory. Ultimately, that is exactly what happened.
The Decision
Two of the judges gave round five to Strickland, and one gave it to Chimaev. Bruce Buffer confirmed it with an “AND NEW” call that received a rapturous ovation from the fans inside the Prudential Center, before both men showed respect to the other, a scarcely believable sight in itself considering all of the bad blood throughout fight week.
This isn’t the first time that Strickland has pulled off a stunning upset win to claim the gold. He shocked Israel Adesanya back at UFC 293 in September 2023 in Sydney, Australia, to claim the title for the first time. Nearly three years on, he was an even bigger underdog this time around, but the controversial Californian managed to get the job done once again, shocking the world once more.
So, the question now is, what’s next? Here is the outlook for both men.
Nassourdine Imavov Next in Line
The newly minted champion has already said he will be taking a month or so off to relax with his wife, having been in a six-month-long training camp that has seen him pick up two upset wins against both the highly rated Anthony Hernandez and now Chimaev. Once he gets back in the gym, the consensus opinion is that Frenchman Nassourdine Imavov is next in line. Strickland confirmed as much on the Paramount+ post-fight show, before stating in the post-fight press conference that he is a big believer in the UFC rankings. Whoever they determine as the number one contender is who he will fight.
Imavov is currently ranked number two overall, with former champion Dricus Du Plessis — the man who dethroned Strickland the first time he was champion — ranked as the number one contender. DDP hasn’t yet staked his claim for a title shot, but Imavov certainly has. He posted on social media post-fight that he would put Strickland’s “lights out,” and it seems that may well be the direction that the UFC heads in.
Light Heavyweight Beckons for Chimaev
After losing your title via split decision, an immediate rematch would usually be the way to go. However, UFC head honcho Dana White stated in his press conference that Chimaev told him post-fight that he doesn’t want to fight at middleweight anymore and would be moving up to light heavyweight.
It’s no secret that Borz had to undertake a monstrous weight cut to make the 185-pound middleweight limit 24 hours before fight night. If the rumor mill is to be believed, the Chechen was bulking up as he thought he was preparing for a light heavyweight debut against Jiří Procházka. Then, plans changed, and Chimaev was informed that he would ultimately be defending his middleweight title against Strickland. The after-effects of that reported 45-pound weight cut certainly look to be the most likely explanation for his lack of energy in rounds two and three.
Should that move up in weight happen, then Chimaev could well jump the queue and be first in line for a title shot at 205 pounds. Both Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria received an immediate title shot in 2025 when they moved up in weight and began campaigning in a heavier division. Chimaev will likely get the same treatment.