Sean Strickland says he suffered multiple shoulder injuries, including partial rotator cuff tear, at UFC 328

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After winning the UFC middleweight championship for a second time, Sean Strickland seems destined for some time on the sidelines. Chimaev, who upset Khamzat Chimaev to win the title at this past Saturday's UFC 328, shared news of a trio of shoulder injuries to social media on Wednesday.

Strickland said that he is suffering from a type 2 AC separation, extended type V SLAP tear and a partial rotator cuff tear, saying, "Gonna have to walk this one off."

Type 2 AC separation
Extended Type V SLAP tear
Partial rotator cuff tearing/tendinosis

Gonna have to walk this one off...

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) May 13, 2026

The SLAP tear alone suggests that Strickland could be sidelined for quite some time. According to the Cleveland Shoulder Institute, the timeline for recovery after surgery to address a SLAP tear is six to 12 months for athletes.

Strickland's win over Chimaev was his second shocking upset win to capture the middleweight championship.

Strickland first won the title with a win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in a fight where Strickland entered as around a +540 underdog. On Saturday, Strickland was a +375 underdog against Chimaev.

With the always-controversial champion seemingly sidelined for the foreseeable future, UFC will need to decide if they will hold an interim title fight in his absence.

Chimaev has already made it clear that he intends to pursue a rematch for the belt amid rumors he was looking to move to light heavyweight. Meanwhile, Nassourdine Imavov has been waiting for a long-overdue shot at the 185-pound title, with his only loss in the past five years coming to Strickland in a fight contested at light heavyweight.