Georges St-Pierre watched Sean Strickland take the UFC middleweight belt back from Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328, and even GSP sounded a little stunned by the whole thing.
Strickland beat Chimaev by split decision in Newark, handing Chimaev the first loss of his pro MMA career and starting the usual MMA circus before the gloves were even dry. Chimaev’s side wants the rematch, Strickland is already back in full Strickland mode, and St-Pierre thinks the new champ has earned a nastier nickname.
“I was surprised myself as well,” St-Pierre told Mike Bohn. “The odds highly favored Khamzat. I think Sean should change his nickname for the boogeyman.”
GSP did not stop there. He said Strickland keeps pulling off the kind of wins that make oddsmakers and highlight-reel worshippers look silly.
“He’s been doing this a few times now,” St-Pierre said. “He beats guys that nobody thinks he’s going to beat. It’s pretty unbelievable what he’s been doing.”
Watch the full interview below:
St-Pierre Says Chimaev Faded Fast, But Strickland Earned The Decision
St-Pierre did not bury Chimaev after the loss. He still sees the Chechen-born wrestler as an elite problem at middleweight, which fits the resume. Chimaev is a three-time Swedish national freestyle wrestling champion and entered UFC 328 unbeaten in pro MMA before Strickland dragged him into a five-round grinder.
But GSP saw the same red flag a lot of people saw once the fight started stretching out.
“What it looks to me too, looks to me that Khamzat got tired very fast,” St-Pierre said. “Perhaps he cut too much weight.”
That lines up with the post-fight noise around Chimaev’s camp, especially after his brother said his body “shut down” late in the UFC 328 weight cut. GSP still had the fight close, but he believed Strickland took the round that mattered most.
“It was a very close fight,” St-Pierre said. “It could have gone either way. Even though I think the decision was right. Strickland probably won the last round.”
St-Pierre said he had it 2-2 entering the fifth. That is the kind of spot where Strickland is built to annoy people into bad nights. He is not flashy. He is not doing superhero spinning stuff. He just keeps walking, jabbing, defending, talking, and making opponents work for every inch.
“He’s the kind of guy that rise to the occasion,” St-Pierre said. “He doesn’t let himself getting bullied or being intimidated even though he’s scared. That’s called courage.”
GSP also pushed back on the idea that Chimaev’s rough night should erase what Strickland did. Strickland said after UFC 328 that he was dealing with a shoulder injury, and St-Pierre brought that up while keeping the credit where it belongs.
“I don’t want to take away anything from Sean Strickland performance,” St-Pierre said. “It was just unbelievable. Like Sean had a shoulder injury as well. So they both have their own problems.”
The rematch question is already messy. Chimaev has signaled he wants Strickland again, while Nassourdine Imavov remains a real contender in the title picture. St-Pierre said the UFC will likely weigh merit against business, which is usually where these title conversations turn into a food fight.
As for Chimaev losing some monster aura, GSP kept it simple.
“Nobody’s invincible,” St-Pierre said. “And it’s not the best fighter that wins the fight. It’s the fighter that fight the best the night of the fight.”
That may be the cleanest read on UFC 328. St-Pierre still believes Chimaev may be the better fighter overall, but Strickland beat him when the cage door locked and the scorecards were real.
“I believe Khamzat is a better fighter than Sean Strickland,” St-Pierre said, “but that night Sean beat him and Sean can do it again next time.”
That is not a promise. It is worse for Chimaev than that. It is GSP admitting the rematch is not some automatic correction. Strickland already showed the blueprint once, and after Chimaev explained their post-fight handshake, the next problem is figuring out whether “Borz” can solve the guy St-Pierre is now calling the boogeyman.
