Daniel Cormier believes Sean Strickland left points on the board against Khamzat Chimaev and could have won more decisively at UFC 328.
Strickland edged Chimaev by split decision to claim the UFC middleweight title Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Cormier acknowledged the upset but took issue with a key moment in the third round.
“You got a Sean Strickland that got taken down in Round 1. Round 2 scored his own takedowns, Round 3 controlled the fight with the jab. Honestly, I thought Strickland made a mistake in Round 3 by not really pressing on the gas because I felt like Khamzat had a bit of an adrenaline dump. If he’d really pressed him, he really could have made Khamzat struggle down the stretch, but he didn’t.”
Cormier said Strickland’s jab was the defining weapon of the fight despite Chimaev’s late pressure.
“The way he was able to control the fight with that jab, showed you how good Sean Strickland is. The right hand seemed to be available, but he never really threw it. Round 3, 4, and 5, Khamzat Chimaev really got on the gas and started backing up Sean Strickland. But if you know scoring, octagon control is no longer a scoring criteria when judging fights. It’s damage, duration and dominance. Khamzat showed control when he got him down, but even with the six minutes of top time, Sean still outlanded him by 50 strikes, and a whole bunch of significant strikes.”
Round 5 proved decisive, with two judges awarding it to Strickland. The new champion revealed he is carrying multiple shoulder injuries and plans to take time off.