Jorge Masvidal shared his thoughts on a middleweight title fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland, and the former UFC star is not fully convinced by the champion’s dominance.
The UFC middleweight title will be on the line when Khamzat Chimaev faces Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 328 in Newark. While many fans see the undefeated champion as the favorite, former UFC contender Jorge Masvidal believes the matchup may be much closer than expected.
Chimaev holds an undefeated record of 15-0 in MMA and 9-0 in the UFC. He built momentum with victories over former champions Kamaru Usman and Robert Whittaker before winning the middleweight belt against Dricus Du Plessis. While many see Chimaev as one of the most dangerous fighters in the division, Masvidal believes the results do not always tell the full story.
Speaking on his Death Row MMA podcast, Masvidal said:
“Chimaev to me, although he looked great in that DDP fight, I don’t think he’s all that good. Look at the Usman fight. Usman was a 170-pounder, took the fight on 11 days’ notice. … I thought Chimaev lost that fight. Look at the tape.”
Masvidal continued his breakdown of that matchup and explained why he felt the fight could have gone the other way.
“He won the first round, lost the second and third. Didn’t get more takedowns, got stuffed up and got punched in the face more. So I definitely thought Usman won. That’s a 170-pounder that’s coming off the couch, literally. He’s not training, he’s not living that life.”
Masvidal Believes Strickland’s Style Could Be a Problem
Sean Strickland has emerged as a possible challenger in the middleweight division. The American fighter recently strengthened his position after stopping Anthony Hernandez in a UFC Fight Night main event.
Masvidal believes Strickland’s style could make things difficult for Chimaev, especially because of his ability to defend wrestling attempts.
“I know he went up to 185 and did some big things, but I don’t think he beats Strickland,” Masvidal said. “I’m dumping the house on Strickland. I don’t even think Chimaev fights him because they’ve trained a lot. He’s just a bad style for him.”
Masvidal also pointed to Strickland’s experience training with strong wrestlers at American Top Team.
“I’ve seen Sean go with good wrestlers over at American Top Team – guys who have wrestled their whole life, All-Americans, national champions. Dude, this guy can wrestle defensively. He never uses his wrestling in a fight, but if you try to wrestle with him, you quickly realize this guy can wrestle back, and that costs a lot of energy, and Chimaev doesn’t have the best gas tank.”
With the middleweight championship on the line at UFC 328, Masvidal believes the clash between Chimaev’s aggressive grappling and Strickland’s defensive approach could play a major role in deciding who leaves Newark with the belt.
