The UFC middleweight class has a new monarch after the UFC 328 main event held at the Prudential Center in Newark. The pele American Sean Strickland managed to prevail on the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev in a battle that lasted for five rounds.

With this result, the challenger recovers the world belt of 185 pounds and tips the first professional defeat to the Chechen athlete.

The confrontation began with marked dominance by Chimaev, who used his fighting to control the position on the ground.

However, Sean Strickland remained calm defensively and avoided the early finishes that typically characterize his opponent's fights. Starting in the second period, the pace of the fight changed when the American began to establish his distance with constant use of fists.

“I knew that the first rounds would be a storm, but my plan was to take him to deeper water where I feel more comfortable. This c "belt belongs to people who work hard and don't give up under pressure," Strickland said after putting on the monarch's belt.

Superiority in striking and volume of attack

Throughout the middle episodes, the constant pressure strategy favored Sean Strickland, who landed a total of 163 hits throughout the entire fight. Chimaev's face showed the damage of the punishment he received bido, while his cardiovascular capacity decreased as the minutes advanced on the clock. Despite suffering nine knockdowns, the California fighter managed to get back up quickly to resume the standing exchange.

The final statistics reflected the effectiveness of the new champion, who registered 133 power strikes compared to the 98 counted by the Russian fighter. This volume of attack was determining to convince to two of the three judges, who delivered cards of 48-47 in favor of Sean Strickland. The third judge awarded an identical score to Chimaev, thus sealing a victory by the split decision.

Card results and title reconquest

In the co-feature fight, Joshua Van retained his flyweight title by finishing Tatsuro Taira by TKO in the fifth round.

Likewise, the day in New Jersey included Alexander Volkov's triumph over Waldo Cortes-Acosta and King Green's submission to Jeremy S tephens. These results complemented a card where the fall of Chimaev's undefeated was the most relevant event for the middle division.

With this triumph, Sean Strickland improves his professional record to 31 wins and 7 losses, recovering the crown that he held for the first time in 2023. After the announcement Officially speaking, the new monarch acknowledged the level of physical demands of his rival and the tense atmosphere that surrounded the event during the previous weeks.