Rocky Prevails. Again.
- Benjamin Furnish
- May 10
- 3 min read

Sean Strickland def. Khamzat Chimaev
Who would have guessed it? The undefeated, wrecking ball, who steamrolled through the entire UFC, has been dethroned.
And who else to do it but Sean Strickland?
Sean Strickland versus Khamzat Chimaev was an absolute war.
The first round started as many expected; Chimaev took Strickland down and controlled him for all five minutes.
But then the tide shifted. Chimaev's first takedown attempt at the beginning of the second round was stuffed. Instead of retreating to his feet, he rolled over onto his back, into his guard.
That was the moment when fans realized this fight was different. It was about to be something special.
For the next two rounds, Strickland and Chimaev delivered their promises, standing on their feet with brutal exchanges.
Ultimately, with superior striking, Strickland found himself on the winning side of the standup battle.
Heading into the fifth and final round, it was, in all likelihood, two-two.
Strickland and Chimaev both left it on the line, with Strickland surviving late wrestling attempts from Chimaev, and constantly using his jab to keep Chimaev at bay.
When the horn rang at the end of the fight, it was a coin toss for the winner.
But we have a new Middleweight champion, and Sean Strickland has finally got back the title he so desperately coveted, in one of the biggest upsets of all time, to go along with Strickland's previous title victory over Israel Adesanya.
With a Strickland victory, the division has been blown wide open. Contenders like Dricus Du Plessis, Nassourdine Imavov, and Brendan Allen will be clamouring for their shots at the two-time champion.
For Chimaev, many fans expect him to move up to the Light-Heavyweight division. After a brutal 40+ pound weight cut, many speculated whether it affected Chimaev's performance.
Regardless of what either fighter does, the Middleweight division has once again been completely shaken up.

Joshua Van def. Tatsuro Taira
The co-main event, like the main event, was everything fans hoped it would be.
Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira delivered an absolute war.
After his controversial victory over Alexandre Pantoja, Van had to prove that he was worthy of being the Flyweight champion.
And that's exactly what he did.
In the first round, Taira was able to use his elite grappling skill set, controlling Van on the mat for most of the round.
The second round was the same story. Until the last ten seconds.
Van caught Taira with a thunderous right hand, sending the challenger to the canvas.
From there, it was a Van masterclass.
Arguably possessing the best boxing in the UFC, Van picked apart Taira, brutalizing him with head and body combinations.
Taira attempted takedowns, but due to fatigue and damage, Van was able to stuff the attempts.
In the fifth round, Van unleashed a brutal eight-punch combination, sending Taira to the canvas and ultimately securing the TKO finish.
Fans questioned whether Van's title reign was legitimate. That is no longer a question.
Joshua Van is, for now, until Pantoja returns, the undisputed best 125-pound fighter in the UFC.

Rest of the Card
In the featured Heavyweight bout, Alexander Volkov walked away with an unanimous decision victory over Waldo Cortes-Acosta. Volkov was able to use teeps and jabs to keep Cortes-Acosta at a distance, ultimately avoiding any severely damaging blows from his brawler counterpart. It is no longer a debate; Volkov is next in line for a title shot. And depending on what happens at the White House, coupled with Tom Aspinall's injury, Volkov may be looking at an extended absence while waiting for a title shot.
In a pivotal Welterweight bout, Sean Brady dominated Joaquin Buckley to a dominant decision victory. There isn't much to say here. Buckley had no answer for Brady's wrestling, and for three straight rounds, Brady served a beatdown, reminding fans that he is still in the upper echelon in the 170 division. This is a nice bounce back for Brady following his knockout loss to Michael Morales, and for Buckley, this may have been the nail in the coffin for any title aspirations.
UFC 328 will go down as one of the most entertaining fight cards of the year. It will be hard to top what we saw in New Jersey, but in one month, the biggest event in UFC history goes down: UFC Freedom 250, on the White House Lawn.
Buckle up, UFC fans, this summer is going to be one for the history books.



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