Sean Strickland is back on top.
The American returned the middleweight championship to the U.S. with a split decision victory over previously unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev, 48-47, 47-48, 48-47, in the main event of UFC 328 at Prudential Center on Saturday night.
A fight marked during fight week for its elevated security presence was preceded during introductions by roughly a dozen uniformed police and other personnel tasked with ensuring no shenanigans minutes before the fight torpedoed the sanctioned action.
Whether necessary or not, they were successful in that endeavor.
Chimaev wasted little time going to his bread and butter, taking down Strickland (31-7, 16 finishes) within 20 seconds of the start. Within two minutes, he had secured the back of the challenger.
The round came to a half while Strickland fought off a rear-naked choke attack.
Chimaev (15-1, 12 finishes), though, did not seek a takedown again until nearly two minutes elapsed in the second — and it ended with Strickland on top in a rare, but brief, opportunity to see the champion fight from his back.
The action returned to the feet, but a sloppy shot for a takedown once again resulted in Strickland working from the top as the crowd broke out into a vociferous “U-S-A” chant for the Las Vegas-based challenger.
Strickland opened up with his hands in the third as Chimaev followed his lead around the octagon.
The Chechen did bust open Strickland’s nose as he found a home for his own offense of strikes with more intentions behind them than Strickland’s trademark jabs and teep kicks.
The power-punching game remained in Chimaev’s favor during the fourth, though the Strickland jab work gave Chimaev a matching bloody nose.
Chimaev finally went back to the well for a successful takedown with a minute to go in the frame for what was his first attempt at one in 10 minutes.
Clearly, the champ liked how that went because he shot quickly to start the final round to keep the fight out of Strickland’s preferred striking world for the opening minute.
When the action returned there, it was again competitive, though Strickland’s more active jab frequently stymied Chimaev’s rhythm.
By the end, what had been a vitriolic buildup turned to clear respect between the new champion and his former training partner, as Chimaev volunteered to wrap the belt around Strickland’s waist.
“I should be a better (expletive) example when I try to sell these fights for you,” fans, Strickland said.
The 35-year-old Strickland, who won the 185-pound belt in September 2023 and lost it in his first title defense, apologized after the fight to fans of all ethnicities and acknowledged he “went too (damn) hard” in weaponizing stereotypes to sell the fight.
“I respect all you guys,” Strickland said, rattling off Christians, Muslims, and also races.
In the co-main event, piston-punching Joshua Van wore down Tatsuro Taira on the feet and survived several takedowns to lock up a fifth-round TKO in his first flyweight title fight as the champion.
Van (17-2, 11 finishes), who immigrated to Texas from Malaysia as a teen, leaned on his fast hands. That proved a challenge at times, particularly early as Taira (18-2, 14 finishes) tested the champion’s takedown defense.
It was a test Van failed early on, ceding three takedowns though without absorbing much damage along the way.
The champ made up for lost time, landing a heavy knockdown late in round two that Taira survived but failed to shake the cobwebs from until late in the third frame.
By then, the man seeking to become the UFC”s first champion from Japan sported a red face and a leaky nose.
Round 4 was less action-packed, though Taira tried to capitalize on a successful takedown by spinning for a triangle choke from which Van escaped.
That proved to be Taira’s last stand, as Van’s power shots to the midsection finally subdued the first challenger to his throne and forced the referee to waive off the action.
Van vs. Taira, ages 24 and 26 respectively, was the youngest UFC title fight by combined age in 25 years, with both men born since the turn of the millennium.
Before the championships were put on the line, the lone heavyweight clash of the night featured Alexander Volkov outpointing Waldo Cortes Acosta 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 in a judges’ decision booed loudly by those in attendance.
In the welterweight division, Sean Brady mauled Joaquin Buckley on the mat with punches in bunches to get back in the win column following last November’s loss at Madison Square Garden, lopsidedly sweeping the scorecards 30-25, 30-25, 30-27.
King Green opened the main card with a first-round rear-naked choke submission victory against Jeremy Stephens in lightweight action.
In a showcase of lightweight locals on the prelims, New Jersey native Jim Miller thrilled the local fans in Newark with a first-round submission of Astoria, Queens product Jared Gordon via guillotine choke.
Other winners on the night included Ateba Gautier (second-round TKO of Ozzy Diaz), Yaroslav Amosov (second-round submission of Joel Alvarez), Grant Dawson (third-round submission of Mateusz Rebecki), Roman Kopylov (unanimous decision over Marco Tulio), Pat Sabatini (unanimous decision over William Gomis), Baisangur Susarkaev (third-round technical submission of Djorden Santos) and Jose Ochoa (unanimous decision over Clayton Carpenter).
— with AP
