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Sean Strickland once again stands alone at the top of the mountain.
The Xtreme Couture mainstay reclaimed the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight crown, as he dethroned Khamzat Chimaev by five-round split decision in the UFC 328 main event on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. All three members of the assigned judiciary scored it 48-47: Sue Sanidad for Chimaev, Eric Colon and Sal D’Amato for Strickland. The disdain and vitriol the two men had shown toward one another in the lead up to the fight was nowhere to be found once the cage door closed behind them.
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Chimaev (15-1, 9-1 UFC) dominated the first round, where he completed two takedowns, attached himself to the challenger’s back, briefly achieved full mount and threatened the neck in the waning seconds. However, he emerged for Round 2 in a diminished state for reasons unknown. Strickland (31-7, 18-7 UFC) denied his bids for takedowns, racked up points with his jab and forced the Chechen to pull guard out of desperation. Chimaev did not attempt another takedown until late in the fourth round, even as he seemed to recover from whatever troubled him. A strategic battle, much of it contested on the feet, ensued over the final 10 minutes. Chimaev landed the heavier shots, but his busier counterpart connected with more of them.
Meanwhile, Joshua Van put away Tatsuro Taira with punches to retain the undisputed UFC flyweight championship in the fifth round of their co-headliner. Finished for the first time as a pro, Taira (18-2, 8-2 UFC) succumbed to blows 1:32 into Round 5.
Van (17-2, 10-1 UFC) navigated some choppy surf, especially early. Taira delivered multiple takedowns and climbed to full mount on more than one occasion, but his inability to marry those efforts with damage proved costly. Van’s get-up game served him well, and on the feet, he was light years ahead of the onetime Shooto champion. He carved up Taira with blistering jabs, uppercuts and straight rights. Damage accumulated on the challenger’s face, zapped his reserves and set the table for his demise. Van let his hands go to start the fifth round and hammered away with his jab before shifting his sights to the body with vicious hooks from both hands. Taira eventually turned away from contact, resulting in the stoppage.
The 24-year-old Van has rattled off seven straight victories.
Further down the main card, former Bellator MMA and M-1 Global champion Alexander Volkov stood his ground in the heavyweight line with a unanimous decision over Waldo Cortes-Acosta in their three-round heavyweight showcase. Scores were 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28—all for Volkov (40-11, 14-5 UFC).
Cortes-Acosta (17-3, 10-3 UFC) had issues with the Russian’s height and reach. Volkov zeroed in on the inside and outside of the Dominican’s lead leg with punishing kicks, mixed in jabs and occasionally targeted the body. He also landed perhaps the most significant strike of the fight in the second round, where he wobbled Cortes-Acosta with a chopping overhand left. The tide shifted across the final five minutes. Cortes-Acosta pressed forward behind power punches and stout jabs, threw caution to the wind and bloodied his 6-foot-7 counterpart’s nose with repeated blows, only to see his rally fall short.
Volkov has posted six wins over his past seven assignments, a split decision loss to Ciryl Gane in December 2024 his only misstep.
Elsewhere, ex-Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Sean Brady outclassed Joaquin Buckley and laid claim to a woefully one-sided unanimous decision in their three-round welterweight attraction. All three cageside judges turned in scorecards for Brady (19-2, 9-2 UFC): 30-25, 30-25 and 30-27.
Buckley (21-8, 11-6 UFC) could not stay on his feet, and once the action spilled onto the mat, traffic only flowed one way. Brady completed takedowns in all three rounds and transitioned between half guard, side control and full mount, all while hunting kimuras, keylocks and arm-triangles. The Daniel Gracie-trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt also made Buckley pay for refusing to cooperate. Brady postured in full mount and cut loose with elbows, punches and hammerfists, pairing his unshakable control with sustained ground-and-pound. It was enough to net him multiple 10-8 rounds.
Brady, 33, has won four of his past five bouts.
Finally, former King of the Cage champion King Green continued his late-career renaissance and dismissed an overweight Jeremy Stephens with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their lightweight appetizer. Stephens (29-23, 15-20 UFC) checked out 4:20 into Round 1, losing for the third time in as many outings.
Green (35-17-1, 16-12-1 UFC) attacked the Iowa native with body kicks, unorthodox jabs and crisp combinations from odd angles. He surprised Stephens with a takedown, set up shop in top position and unleashed a hellacious barrage of elbow-laced ground-and-pound. Green eventually forced the Xtreme Couture rep to turn away from contact, snaked his arms in place for the choke and closed it out.
It was Green’s first rear-naked choke submission victory since Feb. 2, 2013, when he victimized Jacob Volkmann at UFC 156.
Continue Reading » UFC 328 Prelims: Yaroslav Amosov, Grant Dawson, Jim Miller, Baisangur Susurkaev nail down submissions on undercard
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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