A former UFC champion believes the important thing to Sean Strickland stunning the world once more at UFC 328 will not be a takedown or a jab, however a psychological crack in Khamzat Chimaev on combat evening. He thinks Strickland can drag the undefeated middleweight king into an emotional brawl, drive early errors, and switch a frightening stylistic activity right into a winnable title combat.
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland
Khamzat Chimaev will defend his undisputed UFC middleweight title in opposition to former champion Sean Strickland in the primary occasion of UFC 328 on Could 9 on the Prudential Heart in Newark, New Jersey. It’s Chimaev’s first protection since taking the belt from Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319, the place he dominated with stress wrestling and high management over 5 rounds. Strickland enters because the challenger after stopping Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez on February 21, a efficiency that vaulted him previous different contenders into the title shot.
Chimaev is 15-0 as knowledgeable and stormed into title competition with a run the place he absorbed only one vital strike in his first 4 UFC bouts. He has since crushed three former UFC champions in Kamaru Usman, Robert Whittaker and Du Plessis, together with a brutal face crank in opposition to Whittaker and a dominant resolution over Du Plessis to say middleweight gold.
Strickland, 30-7, is a former middleweight champion himself after his upset of Israel Adesanya in 2023, although he later dropped the belt to Du Plessis at UFC 297 earlier than rebounding after which rebuilding momentum with the Hernandez knockout.
UFC 328: Ex-Champion Breaks Down How Sean Strickland Can Push Khamzat Chimaev Over the Edge
Talking on social media, the previous bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling laid out a easy learn: if Strickland wins the psychological battle early, he opens the door to win the combat. Talking to Steve Lee, the Longo’s MMA gymnasium supervisor, Sterling defined.
“I believe Strickland goes to get in his head and drive Khamzat to go loopy early on,” he stated. “I believe Strickland has a extremely good probability, particularly if he can get Khamzat pissed off and make him combat exterior of himself.” In his view, the emotional edge is the place Strickland’s greatest probability lies in opposition to a youthful, explosive champion with elite grappling credentials.
There may be proof that this dynamic is already in play. After Strickland’s current callout, Chimaev responded on social media with a pointed “Habibi relax, I destroyed the man who beat you twice. American b____,” a reference to his win over Du Plessis, who twice defeated Strickland.
The change fed right into a simmering grudge that has been constructing since they beforehand skilled collectively and publicly traded barbs about these classes and one another’s character. That historical past provides Strickland materials to needle Chimaev in combat week media and faceoffs, precisely the type of setting the previous bantamweight champion believes might push the titleholder into uncharacteristic dangers.
If Chimaev begins quick and emotional, the previous bantamweight champion expects Strickland to have alternatives to punish rushed entries and over-committed photographs. Strickland’s fashion is constructed on small defensive reads relatively than massive counters, however prolonged exchanges favor the fighter who retains his construction and ft underneath him. If he can survive Chimaev’s first wave and preserve the champion swinging at air or colliding with the excessive guard, he can financial institution rounds on quantity and stress whereas chipping away at cardio.
The hazard for Chimaev on this matchup is much less technical and extra psychological. If he bites on Strickland’s trash discuss, swings too massive in early exchanges or shoots from too far out, he dangers burning power in opposition to a sturdy, cardio-heavy former champion. Longer fights prolong the pattern measurement the place Strickland’s jab, stress and expertise throughout 5 rounds can begin to matter.
Strickland has leaned right into a persona because the final “old-fashioned” contender, calling Chimaev a bully and questioning the champion’s character whereas promising to “f*** [Khamzat] up” because the “final American within the sport.” Chimaev has fired again along with his personal insults and reminders of his wins over the lads who beat Strickland, including gasoline to the build-up. The strain is prone to escalate by way of press conferences, embedded options and the ultimate faceoff in Newark.
From the previous bantamweight champion’s perspective, these moments matter virtually as a lot because the opening bell. If Strickland can preserve poking at Chimaev till emotion overrides ways, the challenger good points his greatest window to reclaim UFC gold on Could 9.
