Strickland vs Chimaev – UFC 328: Strickland downs Chimaev on split decision
Key takeaways
- Strickland won two scorecards 48-47, while Chimaev took the third scorecard at 48-47 in front of a crowd of 17,783 fans at the Prudential Center on Saturday.
- Strickland, the second former middleweight to regain the title, mimed putting the belt around his waist after the fifth round ended to wrap up a fight where neither fighter ever seemed in serious danger.
- UFC beefed up security at hotels, public events, and around the cage for the fight following one of the more loathsome displays – specifically, from Strickland – of trash talk in recent fight history.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Strickland won two scorecards 48-47, while Chimaev took the third scorecard at 48-47 in front of a crowd of 17,783 fans at the Prudential Center on Saturday.
Strickland, the second former middleweight to regain the title, mimed putting the belt around his waist after the fifth round ended to wrap up a fight where neither fighter ever seemed in serious danger. He had help with his shiny new fashion accessory when Chimaev did the honours for him inside the cage.
UFC beefed up security at hotels, public events, and around the cage for the fight following one of the more loathsome displays – specifically, from Strickland – of trash talk in recent fight history. Strickland threatened to shoot Chimaev and labelled him a terrorist because of his ties to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.