Summary
Strickland during training. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC
Sean Strickland is back at the top of the middleweight division (up to 83,9 kg), but he hasn't forgotten a controversy involving Khamzat Chimaev . Last Friday (8), the Chechen experienced a real drama at the official weigh-in for UFC 328 and many fans and MMA professionals claimed that he failed to make weight. Having followed the episode closely, the American believes that, in fact, 'Borz' benefited from the goodwill of the New Jersey Athletic Commission.
In the post- UFC 328 press conference , Strickland agreed with the theory that Chimaev missed the middleweight weight limit and, feeling wronged, didn't hide his dissatisfaction. If the Chechen had indeed failed to make weight, the belt wouldn't have been at stake for him, only for the "bad boy," and he would have been fined, with part of his purse going to his opponent. But, since "Borz" was allowed to compete, the American was forced to forcibly take the belt from him in the octagon and succeeded, winning by split decision.
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At the weigh-in, Khamzat was the last fighter to appear and looked terrible. Furthermore, many pointed out that the scale never stabilized, indicating that 'Borz' didn't reach the ideal weight, that he spent less time on it compared to the other athletes, and that he received special treatment from the governing body. Dana White, for his part, assured that there was no pre-fight error. However, even having ended his rivalry with Chimaev, Strickland is convinced that he and his team didn't play by the rules.
“He definitely didn’t make weight. I had a guy from my team watching him step on the scale, and when he did, his whole team said, ‘What the hell.’ They dragged him away because he was running out of time. He 100% didn’t make weight. I don’t care about that, it’s all the same to me. Be a heavyweight. I don’t care. I just know I should get 20% of his purse. What the hell is that?” said the UFC champion.
Strickland fighters in MMA
Sean Strickland , 35, is one of the best middleweight fighters in history, being a two-time UFC champion. The American began his MMA career in 2008, debuted in the company in 2014, and won the category's belt in 2023 and 2026. Currently, the athlete is ranked seventh in the pound-for-pound rankings.
In sports, the bad boy built a record of 31 wins and seven losses. His main victories were over Anthony Hernandez , Brendan Allen , Israel Adesanya , Khamzat Chimaev , Nassourdine Imavov , and Paulo Borrachinha.
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