Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo both believe Khamzat Chimaev should have left UFC 328 with a win over Sean Strickland, even after Strickland officially edged Chimaev by split decision to reclaim the UFC middleweight title.
The result has already created a judging mess. Arman Tsarukyan questioned the scorecards, while Dricus Du Plessis said Strickland was built for that exact matchup. Usman and Cejudo landed on the other side while speaking on the Pound 4 Pound YouTube channel. Both former UFC champions scored the fight for Chimaev, though Cejudo admitted Strickland badly hurt him in the second round.
Cejudo said he wanted Strickland to win, but still thought Chimaev did enough.
“I thought Khamzat Chimaev actually won this fight,” Cejudo said. “And again, I was going for Strickland, bro, and I’m happy for Strickland. I thought it was super cool that he was able to get a victory over a man that was undefeated.”
Here is Cejudo’s breakdown:
Henry Cejudo thought that Khamzat Chimaev won the fight 🤔
"I thought Khamzat Chimaev actually won this fight. And again, I was rooting for Sean Strickland.
Khamzat made the mistake when he went for the takedown [ In the second round ]. Once you get hurt and start shooting for… pic.twitter.com/FqCGlhlBJ9
— MMA Pros Pick (@MMA_PROS_PICK_) May 11, 2026
Cejudo Says Strickland Hurt Chimaev, But Still Had Him Losing
Cejudo pointed to round two as the biggest swing point in the fight.
“It all came down to that second round, bro,” Cejudo said. “That second round, I think a minute and a half into the fight, that was probably like maybe 3:45, Sean Strickland catches Khamzat Chimaev with that beautiful right hand, bro. He went jab, boom, caught him with the right.”
Cejudo also thought the commentary missed how much damage Strickland did in that moment.
“If you notice from the commentators, they didn’t catch that,” Cejudo said. “I think these commentators could do a better job to really describe when somebody’s actually hurt. He hurt him. Khamzat Chimaev was on that stanky leg, bro.”
Cejudo gave Chimaev credit for not falling apart after getting clipped.
“But he did a good job being composed and not showing it,” Cejudo said.
Still, Cejudo thought Chimaev made the wrong move right after eating that shot.
“Where he made the mistake is when he went for a takedown,” Cejudo said. “Once he got hurt, you start going for takedowns, but that’s just not good. You almost got to keep that poker face, stay on your feet, act busy, but you would almost have to recover, bro.”
Cejudo said Chimaev struggled because of how much Strickland made him work, while also pointing to the weight cut as a possible factor.
“I don’t think Khamzat Chimaev recovered that much first round, bro,” Cejudo said. “He struggled. He held too much. Sean Strickland did a good job of just making this dude work. And I think Khamzat Chimaev, because of the weight cut, he was able to blow his wad.”
Even with Strickland’s best round being clear in his eyes, Cejudo still leaned toward Chimaev overall.
“The round that I thought was the most convincing round for Sean Strickland was round two,” Cejudo said. “I’m gonna have to rewatch this fight, but bro, from what I saw, it could have gone 4-1 Chimaev or maybe 3-2 Chimaev. But I had him. And again, as a patriot American, I gotta be fair, bro. I had Chimaev winning.”
Usman had the same winner, but his reasoning was more direct. The former UFC welterweight champion said he scored it by one round for Chimaev.
“I give the fight, I do give the fight to Khamzat Chimaev,” Usman said. “Slight margin. I say 48-47, Khamzat Chimaev.”
Here is Usman’s reaction:
https://x.com/MMA_PROS_PICK_/status/2053836596932137357
Usman did not understand how Strickland took the fifth round or the fight.
“How did Strickland win that fifth, bro?” Usman said. “Strickland stayed on his feet for the most part. I get that. But I feel like I don’t understand.”
Then Usman hit the part that will annoy every Strickland fan with a working internet connection.
“I don’t understand how you win the fight when you’re kind of backing up the whole time,” Usman said. “You were backing up the whole time and you threw nothing but jabs, really.”
Usman argued Chimaev’s pressure and variety should have carried the scorecards.
“When one guy’s marching forward, he’s throwing jabs as well and he’s mixing it up,” Usman said. “He’s throwing overhands and he does get some takedowns in there. And he did this for almost five rounds. I don’t see how he loses the fight. The other guy just backed up and jabbed the whole time.”
Strickland still has the belt, and Chimaev already sent him a short post-loss message. Usman and Cejudo just added more fuel to the UFC 328 scorecard argument, and this one probably is not dying quickly.
