Who Has the Edge in UFC 328’s Chaotic Main Event?
It was announced back in mid-March that Khamzat Chimaev would be making his first middleweight title defense at UFC 328 against the third-ranked fighter in the division, Sean Strickland. The event will take place on May 9th in Newark, New Jersey, which is a very familiar location for UFC events. After the fight was announced, fans took to the internet to note the outlandish and crazy personas that both fighters possess. UFC CEO Dana White recently announced that security would be increased that weekend due to the sporadic nature of both middleweights. On paper, Chimaev and Strickland both have elite resumes in the UFC, but who really has the edge in this eccentric battle for middleweight gold?
When looking at ‘Borz’ and his UFC tenure, he simply does not have a weakness. The champ has yet to lose in his career, stacking up 15 wins total with six of them being by knockout and six by submission. His last fight was against Dricus Du Plessis back in August of last year at UFC 319, with the latter losing his belt in a fight that was completely one-sided. Chimaev held Du Plessis on the ground in a crucifix position for a majority of the fight, almost like he was playing with his food. This win presented Chimaev as a scary threat to the division, revealing his power on the ground that no one else seems to match. Not only that, but the champ can also put away opponents with his striking as well, having already knocked out six other athletes on his way to stardom.
As a former champion, Strickland is not shy of the spotlight. He is always trying to capture all kinds of attention outside the ring with his opinions and antics, but nevertheless, the controversial middleweight is still a great athlete. Throughout his career, Strickland has shown great defense in many of his fights, using his long arms and legs to block a majority of strikes coming his way. The former champ also has amazing cardio while in the Octagon, as he walks down a lot of his opponents in the later rounds.
While Chimaev is the clear favorite to win this bout, there is still a decent chance that Strickland can come out on top by the end of the night. Even though ‘Borz’ is known to be an unstoppable animal while in the Octagon, he still can get rattled as well. This was evident back in his fight against Gilbert Burns in 2022, where both fighters traded blows and knockdowns against each other, ultimately resulting in a unanimous decision win for Chimaev. This fight led others to believe that the Russian-Emirati fighter is human and he can bleed just like anyone else.
In order for Strickland to secure the upset, he has to stay off the ground as much as possible and force Chimaev to strike. While the latter is still dangerous in the stand-up game, it is a lot more ideal for Strickland since he has reliable defense. If the former titleholder can get some good jabs early on and establish a rhythm, it will throw Chimaev off, possibly even setting up for an unexpected knockout against the current champ. Moreover, the fight could also end up looking like a Chimaev masterclass on the ground for 25 minutes. Fans can only hope that both fighters bring immense chaos in this much anticipated battle.
