UFC 328: How White scored Sean Strickland's upset of Khamzat Chimaev

NEWARK, N.J. – The UFC 328 main event not only had the judges split on who should've won, but also many online.

Khamzat Chimaev lost the middleweight title to Sean Strickland in a split decision at Prudential Center. The fight came down to the final round with all three judges – two of whom scored it for Strickland, who became a two-time champion with the sizeable betting upset of the 5-1 favorite and previously unbeaten Chechnan.

UFC CEO Dana White agreed with the final verdict and had the fight for Strickland.

"I had it 2-2 going into the last round," White told reporters at the UFC 328 post-fight press conference. "I thought Strickland won the last round."

Chimaev, to the surprise of many, only used his wrestling substantially in the first round of the fight. The following four rounds, Chimaev actually stood and traded with Strickland, who was considered to be the superior striker going into the fight. Like many, White didn't expect it.

"What was interesting is the first two times I saw (Chimaev) fight on Fight Island, he used to talk about his standup and his team all the time," White said. "I've been saying, we haven't seen him stand up toe-to-toe with somebody for a while. I think he had a rough weight cut."

Strickland owns two of the biggest upsets in UFC title history. He upset Israel Adesanya in 2023 in his first middleweight title fight, and now he's done against Chimaev. Both fights he entered were around a +400 underdog.

"He looks great. He's got an awkward style," White said. "He's tough to fight and another durable, tough guy that has no quit in him."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: How Dana White scored UFC 328's Sean Strickland vs. Khamzat Chimaev