Daniel Cormier thinks Sean Strickland could have beaten Khamzat Chimaev more definitively.
Strickland (31-7 MMA, 18-7 UFC) edged out Chimaev (15-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) by split decision to claim the middleweight title at UFC 328 this past Saturday from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
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Although Strickland pulled off the big upset, Cormier thinks he failed to capitalize on a major turning point in the fight. In Round 2, Strickland reversed a labored Chimaev takedown and wound up in top position. He eventually let Chimaev back to his feet, before defending another exhausted Chimaev takedown and closing out the round on top.
“You got a Sean Strickland that got taken down in Round 1,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “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. But he wins Round 3. Round 4, Khamzat comes back and he fights like Khamzat. I thought Strickland’s jab was probably the most effective punch of the entire fight.
“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.”
It was Round 5 that was the difference maker after two judges awarded it to Strickland. The newly crowned champion revealed a slew of injuries to his shoulder, as he plans on taking some time off.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC analyst reveals mistake Sean Strickland made vs. Khamzat Chimaev
