Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev was decided by the judges at UFC 328.
In the end, Strickland regained his UFC middleweight title with a split-decision victory over the previously undefeated Chimaev at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Saturday night.
Judges Eric Colon and Sal D’Amato both gave the former UFC champion Strickland rounds 1, 4, and 5 for their 48-47 scores. Judge Sue Sanidad gave Chimaev rounds 1, 4 and 5.
After the close win, Chimaev wrapped the belt around Strickland in the Octagon. Chimaev’s record dropped to 15-1 with the loss.
Strickland picked up his second straight win and is now 31-7 for his career. It was Strickland’s second major upset in a title fight. His first was an unanimous decision win over Israel Adesanya (49-46 x3) at UFC 293 to win the UFC middleweight title for the first time.