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Sean Strickland left everything in the octagon at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday night, upsetting Khamzat Chimaev to be named UFC middleweight champion once again for his career.
Chimaev, who had never lost a UFC fight in his 16-bout career, was a convincing favorite heading into this co-main event for UFC 328, but Strickland was named victor by split decision after five hard-fought rounds, where he revealed he wasn’t even at full health.
After having the belt put around his waist by Chimaev, Strickland said that he injured his shoulder sparring earlier in the week.
“Funny story – on Tuesday, I’m sparring Johnny [Eblen], that motherf—–, PFL champ. I’m at Plinio Cruz’s gym. He shoots on me, and I hit his bricka—wall, and I separate my shoulder,” Strickland told reporters during hisi post-fight press conference. “So, I had a grade one AC join separation on Tuesday. I remember lying in bed on Tuesday night, and I can’t lie on my right side. I’m like, ‘You’re such a f—ing idiot. You’re such a f—ing idiot.”
Strickland added that he likes to have some better pre-fight warmups in the back dressing rooms, but he was unable to do so in fear that he might hurt his shoulder again. And a shoulder injury is never good against a wrestler, which Chimaev has shown to dominate in throughout his UFC career.
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Chimaev proved that in the first round, as he took down Strickland to the canvas just 15 seconds in. It was the dominant performance many believed would ensue at the Prudential Center between these two fighters.
That is until Strickland found some momentum in the second round, staying on his feet and landing strikes. From there, both fighters were trading blows, but the fifth round was when Strickland had an interesting moment with Chimaev.
As both fighters were bloodied, Strickland said that Chimaev pointed to the mat near the end of the fifth round, which is a sign to fighters to start throwing haymakers. However, there’s usually an honor code with that – nothing else but punches and giving the fight crowd a show.
“He pointed at the mat and said, ‘Let’s give the people what they want, let’s have the man dance,’ or some s—. And I was like, ‘OK. I trust you, the guy that just kicked me in the balls yesterday. I trust you, Chimaev. You seem like a real trustworthy guy. I like your smile. We shook hands, I believe you.’
“So, I put my hands up, and he f—ing shoots at me.”
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While Strickland didn’t like the move, he and Chimaev were showing respect for one another during the match, and obviously the move by the latter after the match to pass the belt over to his opponent.
The 35-year-old Strickland is a polarizing figure in UFC, but he had the crowd raucously chanting “U-S-A!” over and over, especially after being named champion.