Khamzat Chimaev’s undefeated run came to an end at UFC 328, where Sean Strickland pulled off a stunning upset to earn a closely contested split-decision victory. The win added another memorable chapter to Strickland’s career after he shocked Israel Adesanya to capture the middleweight title at UFC 293 in 2023.
However, Chimaev’s performance left fans with plenty of questions. After dominating the opening round with his wrestling, the former champion appeared to run out of steam and struggled to maintain the relentless grappling pressure that had made him such a nightmare for opponents.
Many pointed to Chimaev’s brutal weight cut as a possible reason for his struggles. Khalil Rountree Jr. revealed that the Chechen had reportedly shed a staggering 47 pounds ahead of the fight. Things allegedly became more complicated after Chimaev initially prepared for a potential move to light heavyweight, where he was expected to challenge Jiri Prochazka for the vacant title at UFC 327.
Those plans never materialized, leaving Chimaev to make a difficult return to 185 pounds. The weight cut appeared to take a toll, as he was the last fighter to step onto the scales and barely made the championship limit before losing his title in his first defense.
Now, Brendan Allen has offered his take on what happened, claiming that Strickland never faced the same version of Chimaev he knew from their training sessions.
Brendan Allen Explains Why Khamzat Chimaev Wasn’t Himself at UFC 328
Ahead of his UFC Vegas 122 main event against Christian Duncan Leroy, Allen spoke with Shakiel Mahjouri about his training partner and the former champion’s performance. The No. 4-ranked middleweight has worked alongside Chimaev during training camps in Southern California, including sessions at Jaxxon Media House and Treigning Lab under coach Sam Calavitta.
During the interview, Mahjouri brought up Allen’s previous description of Strickland as a one-trick pony and asked whether his opinion had changed after the American beat Chimaev at UFC 328.
Allen didn’t back down from his earlier stance, saying, “No, I don’t think he [Strickland] won the fight. But obviously the judges did, and everyone has got their own opinion; that’s just mine.”
He then explained why he believed Chimaev wasn’t at his best on fight night. “But the only thing I can, I say this all the time. The only thing that I can speak on is the Khamzat that I trained with and had interactions with, and the same guy that fought that night was not the same guy I trained with.”
Allen went even further, suggesting that the version of Chimaev he encountered in training would have made quick work of the fighter who showed up against Strickland.
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Allen further added, “And that’s the only thing I can base what I say off of is the guy that I interacted with when it comes to training or anything else. The Khamzat that I trained with would have finished that Khamzat in a minute and 30 max. So, it’s not the same guy, and that’s all I can speak of when it comes to stuff like that.”
Despite questioning the performance, Allen made it clear that his opinion of Strickland’s fighting style hadn’t changed. He added, “But it doesn’t change anything for me. I still think he’s just a guy that just wants to move: jab, move, jab, defense, and he could play the long game.”
When asked what might have gone wrong for Chimaev, Allen pointed to the reported weight cut but admitted that he couldn’t know for certain what the former champion experienced behind the scenes.
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He said, “I would assume just based off everything that I heard, it was the weight cut, but I don’t know. I don’t know what exactly he was feeling, what he went through. Like, on the inside, anyone can say anything, but only he really knows if that was the case, and he’s a grown-ass man so I guess that’s on him.”
If Allen’s assessment is accurate, UFC 328 might have looked very different had Chimaev been able to bring his usual form into the Octagon. The No. 4-ranked middleweight now turns his attention to another UFC Apex main event this Saturday, while Chimaev is scheduled to face Colby Covington at RAF Abu Dhabi.
Chimaev has also recently called out Strickland, offering the reigning champion $1 million to fight him. Whether the two middleweights eventually settle their differences inside the Octagon remains to be seen, but Allen’s comments have added another layer to the debate surrounding Chimaev’s first professional loss.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
