Sean Strickland upsets Khamzat Chimaev for middleweight title at UFC 328

A big talking point ahead of the UFC 328 main event was how no one had attempted to submit Sean Strickland.

The former middleweight champion made a point of latent homophobic and sexist comments, consistent with his persona, to explain why he's never been submitted and doesn't wind up in that position. Saturday, he wound up there a bunch in the first round.

But he survived, then turned the tide in a completely unexpected way and gave middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev the type of close fight few outside Strickland's camp likely were expecting. The champ was more than a 5-1 favorite and was unbeaten.

But Strickland (29-7 MMA, 18-7 UFC) recaptured the middleweight title with a split decision at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. He took the fight with a pair of 48-47 scores; Chimaev (15-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) took a dissenting 48-47 scorecard, but it still resulted in the first loss of his career – and a shocker on the East Coast.

Strickland said he broke his nose in the fight in his post-fight interview. He also said he was sorry for his pre-fight talk and antics on the way to the bout, which included threats of gun violence. But in the end, Chimaev embraced Strickland and put the belt around his waist to make him a two-time middleweight champion.

Chimaev shot for a double-leg takedown quickly into the fight and put Strickland on his butt on the canvas against the fence. Strickland's get-up was decent, but the champ stayed blanketed on him and pulled him back to the canvas and took his back with relative ease. Chimaev adjusted and locked up his left leg, then climbed on his back and got his hooks in. Strickland stayed defensive and fought off the submission attempts until Chimaev picked him up and slammed him hard with about a minute left in the round. Chimaev searched for a rear-naked choke late, but it wasn't there.

Strickland came out swinging at the start of the second, which at least gave himself a chance to get started. Chimaev didn't give him that opportunity in the first. A Chimaev body shot was countered nicely by a big Strickland right, and for the first 90 seconds the fight looked competitive on the feet.

When Chimaev shot for the takedown that was expected, though, Strickland not only defended, but forced his way on top. Chimaev settled into guard and tried to work toward the fence to wall-walk. After a full minute in that position, Strickland let the champ back to his feet – and landed a right hand. Chimaev looked for a takedown again after that – and couldn't get it.