Sean Strickland defeated Khamzat Chimaev by split decision at UFC 328, reclaiming the middleweight title. Despite pre-fight animosity, both fighters showed sportsmanship post-fight, leading to discussions about the authenticity of their rivalry.
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NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MAY 09: (L-R) Khamzat Chimaev of Russia and Sean Strickland touch gloves prior to the UFC middleweight championship fight during the UFC 328 event at Prudential Center on May 09, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
According to Sean Stricklandâs head coach Eric Nicksick, there was nothing fabricated about Stricklandâs pre-fight hatred towards Khamzat Chimaev or their burying of the hatchet after their 25-minute battle.
Strickland regained the UFC middleweight title via split decision over Chimaev in the main event of UFC 328 this past Saturday in Newark, N.J.. There was a lot said in the build to the fight by both fighters, which led to extra security around them during fight week. That didnât stop Chimaev from kicking Strickland at the conclusion of the UFC 328 pre-fight press conference, and venom and vitriol continued to spew forth ahead of fight night.
However, before the fight began, there were multiple glove touches, and after the fight ended, the fighters embraced. Chimaev wrapped the title around Strickland, the new champion apologized for the way he promoted the fight, and it seemed as if the beef was squashed. That has led to discourse about if the rivalry was real, and the fight promotion itself.
Speaking with Nicksick, he says there was nothing fabricated about what was seen throughout the fight week, and how Stricklandâs manager came up with quite the comparison to what fans saw between the two fighters in the aftermath.
âIt was a beef,â Nicksick told MMA Fighting. âIt was 100 percent a beef, and itâs funny. You and I talked about this. You asked me, âWhat do you hope happens after this?â And I was like, âI hope they shake hands and they move on and maybe one day Khamzatâs back in the gym training with us again.â Thatâs what I truly hoped for, but was I thinking it was realistic? Probably not.
âThese guys didnât like each other. And I hate to use this analogy, but I thought it was spot on by Lance, our manager, and I pause by saying this, but Lance said, âYou know what this is? Thatâs post-nut clarity, and heâs spot on.
âItâs like, these dudes hated each other, wanted to kill each other, and then went 25 minutes, toe-to-toe, to a narrow split decision, just took years off of each otherâs life. How can you not respect the guy across from you? At least for the 15 minutes or 10 minutes after the fight, there was at least some common ground there, and Lance looked over at me, he goes, âYou know what that is? Thatâs post-nut clarity right there.â Iâm like, âBro, you nailed it, man.ââ
Sean Strickland won the fight against Khamzat Chimaev by split decision, regaining the UFC middleweight title.
The animosity stemmed from intense verbal exchanges and a physical altercation during the pre-fight press conference.
After the fight, both fighters touched gloves before the bout and embraced, with Chimaev wrapping the title around Strickland.
Sean Strickland apologized for the way he promoted the fight, which included significant animosity and trash talk.
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Despite how heated Strickland and Chimaev were towards one another, Nicksick says he and Chimaev remained cool throughout. In fact, Nicksick claims his team and Chimaevâs team ran into each other earlier in the week and it was nothing but respect between them, including Chimaev giving him a hug in the fighter hotel.
Nicksick saw the heightened security throughout, but that moment made him realize that things, for the most part, would remain professional throughout, and that fighting is such a weird and primal thing in the worldâs landscape.
âIt was super real until all the way up to, man,â Nicksick explained. âThose guys did not like each other. There was a lot of back and forth for years between those guys, so I think thatâs the thing that people have to understand is, itâs competition. These guys, obviously, didnât like each other in that moment, but they went out there and like, youâve been in fights, right? You get in that fight in elementary school, and next thing you know, youâre shaking the guyâs hand.
âA lot of my best friends that Iâm still friends [with] to this day, I probably fist fought. Thatâs how some of us even met. My best man at my wedding I got in fights with and weâre, âOh, youâre my pal now.â So it is what it is, man. And Iâm actually glad that those two showed that type of sportsmanship knowing how much they hated each other. And I think itâs a good testament to everybody to know that, hey, theyâre competitors, but at the end of the day, weâre also human beings and thereâs respect that goes across the board when you spend 25 minutes in a cage trying to kill the other man.â
Strickland is now a two-time champion with another massive upset title win. At UFC 293 in September 2023, Strickland dominated Israel Adesanya to win his first championship, and did so as a massive underdog.
After a bit of a bumpy road between Nicksick and Strickland since his fighterâs loss to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 312, the band is back together and they accomplished something amazing.
Nicksick was then asked if the title win over Chimaev was sweeter than the Adesanya win with everything in play.
âI wouldnât say sweeter, just different,â Nicksick said. âTheyâre all very sweet⊠Itâs like, you have three kids and you love every one of them, but theyâre all different, right? You love them, theyâre just all different. Theyâre all different chapters in your coaching career, in your fighting career and everything else.
âBut this one definitely is special because of some of those ups and downs that Sean and I have had in the past. But Iâll tell you what⊠I donât regret it because it made me a better person. It made me a better coach, and I think it made Sean and I closer.â