Strickland reveals he fought Khamzat Chimaev with shoulder injury in massive UFC 328 upset win

Sean Strickland near everything successful the octagon astatine the Prudential Center successful Newark, New Jersey connected Saturday night, upsetting Khamzat Chimaev to beryllium named UFC middleweight champion erstwhile again for his career.

Chimaev, who had ne'er mislaid a UFC combat successful his 16-bout career, was a convincing favourite heading into this co-main lawsuit for UFC 328, but Strickland was named victor by divided determination aft 5 hard-fought rounds, wherever helium revealed helium wasn’t adjacent astatine afloat health.

After having the loop enactment astir his waist by Chimaev, Strickland said that helium injured his enarthrosis sparring earlier successful the week.

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Sean Strickland reacts aft a split-decision triumph against Khamzat Chimaev of Russia successful the UFC middleweight title combat during UFC 328 astatine Prudential Center successful Newark, N.J., connected May 9, 2026. (Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC)

"Funny communicative – connected Tuesday, I’m sparring Johnny [Eblen], that motherf-----, PFL champ. I’m astatine Plinio Cruz’s gym. He shoots connected me, and I deed his bricka—wall, and I abstracted my shoulder," Strickland told reporters during hisi post-fight property conference. "So, I had a people 1 AC articulation separation connected Tuesday. I retrieve lying successful furniture connected Tuesday night, and I can’t prevarication connected my close side. I’m like, ‘You’re specified a f---ing idiot. You’re specified a f---ing idiot."

Strickland added that helium likes to person immoderate amended pre-fight warmups successful the backmost dressing rooms, but helium was incapable to bash truthful successful fearfulness that helium mightiness wounded his enarthrosis again. And a enarthrosis wounded is ne'er bully against a wrestler, which Chimaev has shown to predominate successful passim his UFC career.

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Chimaev proved that successful the archetypal round, arsenic helium took down Strickland to the canvas conscionable 15 seconds in. It was the ascendant show galore believed would ensue astatine the Prudential Center betwixt these 2 fighters.

That is until Strickland recovered immoderate momentum successful the 2nd round, staying connected his feet and landing strikes. From there, some fighters were trading blows, but the 5th circular was erstwhile Strickland had an absorbing infinitesimal with Chimaev.

Sean Strickland reacts aft a split-decision triumph against Khamzat Chimaev of Russia successful the UFC middleweight title combat during UFC 328 astatine Prudential Center successful Newark, N.J., connected May 9, 2026. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

As some fighters were bloodied, Strickland said that Chimaev pointed to the mat adjacent the extremity of the 5th round, which is simply a motion to fighters to commencement throwing haymakers. However, there’s usually an grant codification with that – thing other but punches and giving the combat assemblage a show.

"He pointed astatine the mat and said, ‘Let’s springiness the radical what they want, let’s person the antheral dance,’ oregon immoderate s---. And I was like, ‘OK. I spot you, the feline that conscionable kicked maine successful the balls yesterday. I spot you, Chimaev. You look similar a existent trustworthy guy. I similar your smile. We shook hands, I judge you.’

"So, I enactment my hands up, and helium f---ing shoots astatine me."

Sean Strickland punches Khamzat Chimaev of Russia during the UFC middleweight title combat astatine UFC 328 successful Newark, N.J., connected May 9, 2026. (Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC)

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While Strickland didn’t similar the move, helium and Chimaev were showing respect for 1 different during the match, and evidently the determination by the second aft the lucifer to walk the loop implicit to his opponent.

The 35-year-old Strickland is simply a polarizing fig successful UFC, but helium had the assemblage raucously chanting "U-S-A!" implicit and over, particularly aft being named champion.