Overview
- Sean Strickland took a split decision over Khamzat Chimaev on Saturday at Newark’s Prudential Center to regain the UFC middleweight belt.
- Judges Eric Colon and Sal D’Amato scored it 48-47 for Strickland while a third had 48-47 for Chimaev, and 64.3% of MMA Decisions fan ballots agreed with the official result.
- Post-fight matchmaking has focused on a potential rematch for Strickland, as some outlets also discuss Chimaev testing light heavyweight.
- UFC president Dana White said he scored the main event for Strickland but argued a different bout, Volkov vs. Cortes-Acosta, was judged for the wrong fighter.
- Analysts linked Chimaev’s early wrestling burst and late fatigue to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s prior warning about his pacing, which fed criticism of his conditioning coach.