NEWARK, N.J. — An intense week of pre-fight tension set the stage for exciting and occasionally surprising results on Saturday as UFC 328 invaded the Prudential Center.
Sean Strickland became a two-time middleweight champion by outlasting unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev in a split-decision win in the main event following a compelling week of bad blood. In the co-feature, Joshua Van made the first defense of his flyweight title against a determined Tatsuro Taira.
Let’s take a look at the biggest takeaways from a wild night in New Jersey.
1. Overshadowed by the chaos, Sean Strickland delivered a storybook victory
At 35, Strickland (31-7) was more than a 4-to-1 betting underdog against a dominant defending champion who was a 6-to-1 favorite and possessed the kind of wrestling skills that would suffocate most of the elite fighters at 185 pounds. But following a week of insults, threats and a security presence unlike any fight week of recent memory, Strickland used his laser focus, defense and steady jab to wear down and barely outpoint Chimaev. None of that would’ve happened, however, had Strickland not been able to keep Chimaev off of the mat. Even though Chimaev technically succeeded on nine of 13 takedown attempts, it was Strickland’s ability to reverse a series of takedowns in Round 2 that completely changed the tenor of the fight and led to Chimaev’s takedown threat becoming increasingly less of a threat throughout the championship rounds. Strickland even apologized after the fight to fans of all nations, creeds and religions in a borderline babyface turn (to steal a pro wrestling term) as he etched his name in history as a two-time champion. Strickland, who survived an opening round largely spent on his back, dug deep to yet again shock the world as a big underdog, similar to his 2023 title win over Israel Adesanya.
2. Khamzat Chimaev’s rough weight cut appeared to play a sizeable role in the loss
Considering Chimaev (15-1) was the last to weigh in on Friday and looked gaunt and partially defeated on the scales, it didn’t come as a complete shock that the native of the Chechen Republic in Russia was unable to reproduce the success he had wrestling or the pace he authored in Round 1. It was surprising, however, to see him so labored the rest of the fight. Even though Chimaev was the aggressor throughout and constantly came forward, he appeared to be a shell of his typical self for most of the fight. UFC CEO and president Dana White later revealed that Chimaev told him inside the Octagon after the fight of his hope to move up to light heavyweight immediately. It’s a move that likely makes sense. This was simply not the same fighter who controlled Dricus du Plessis for 25 minutes last August.
3. Chimaev’s lack of kayfabe protection might’ve arguably been his undoing
Let me get this straight: the same fighter who all week called himself a terrorist, kicked Strickland during Thursday’s press conference faceoff and fielded constant insults from his opponent about his family, country and religion agreed to touch gloves with Strickland before all five rounds of one of the hottest blood feuds in years? While I would normally applaud an expression of bushido like the one Chimaev shocked us with when he wrapped the title belt around Strickland’s waist following five hard-fought rounds, it kind of made an incredibly intense week of buzz and white-hot virality feel suddenly inorganic. It also appeared to zap the true superpower of Chimaev’s game — the mean streak with which he operates — while making him look human for the first time. Chimaev was also caught on an in-cage microphone telling Strickland, “I love you, man” as the two touched gloves before Round 1. This was just moments, mind you, after the cage was overflowing with police officers and security guards to make sure the two fighters didn’t begin brawling before Bruce Buffer could introduce them. While you could argue Chimaev’s lack of a gas tank was the leader in what led to his demise, his intimidating aura was noticeably absent.
4. Joshua Van ended any debate over whether he’s the real flyweight champion
Even though the 24-year-old from Myanmar entered as champion in his first title defense, he was the betting underdog and was still enduring criticism from those, including Taira, who believed his 26-second title win over Alexandre Pantoja (due to a freak arm injury) wasn’t legit. Taira might’ve helped perpetuate the stigma when he spent most of Round 1 on his back against the aggressive wrestling of Taira. But Van (17-2) turned the fight around completely in Round 2 thanks to his trademark combination punching and quickly reminded how tough and exciting he truly is. But it wasn’t easy. Taira (18-2), a 26-year-old who was looking to become the first Japanese-born UFC champion, showed an almost unhealthy resilience in the midst of heavy accrued damage over the next three rounds. Taira was even quietly working his way back into the fight despite a bloody face until a brutal three-punch combination from Van dropped Taira and forced referee Vitor Ribeiro to instantly wave off the fight (despite an emotional protest from Taira). Van is quickly becoming a breakout star and he confidently called for a rematch against Pantoja, who was watching cageside.
5. Sean Brady, Yaroslav Amosov make noise in the welterweight rankings
Brady (19-2) recovered beautifully from a devastating knockout loss to Michael Morales by delivering a wrestling lesson to Joaquin Buckley (21-8) over three rounds. Even though Brady failed to record the finish despite sitting in full mount for most of the fight, his volume of strikes from top position was overwhelming and he restored faith in his title viability. Brady also had a bold callout of sorts after the fight when he said he would be willing to fight Carlos Prates in a No. 1 contender’s bout. Amosov (30-1), the former Bellator MMA champion, scored the second straight dominant submission win to begin his UFC career and instantly became a darkhorse title challenger after tapping out Joel Alvarez (23-4) via arm-triangle choke in Round 2.
