The crowd let him know exactly what they thought of him
In Newark's Prudential Center, two fighters carrying the weight of unfinished business met to determine who belongs at the summit of the middleweight division. Khamzat Chimaev, undefeated and unbothered by the crowd's disapproval, defended a title he had only recently claimed, while Sean Strickland pursued the rare distinction of a second reign — a feat accomplished by only one man before him. What Dana White called a top-three rivalry in UFC history had finally arrived at its reckoning, reminding us that sport's most compelling dramas are rarely settled cleanly the first time.
- The animosity between Chimaev and Strickland had already spilled beyond words — a kick thrown during Thursday's face-off signaled that this rivalry had moved somewhere genuinely dangerous.
- Newark's crowd turned on the champion before a single punch was thrown, booing Chimaev loudly through his octagon walk in a rare display of public rejection for a reigning titleholder.
- Strickland entered with momentum and motive — back-to-back wins over elite contenders and a February stoppage of Hernandez had rebuilt his case after two painful losses to du Plessis.
- Chimaev carried his own weight: fifteen fights, fifteen wins, a dominant title performance just nine months prior, and a pound-for-pound ranking that placed him among the sport's very best.
- The middleweight title hung over Newark as both men sought to write the next line of a story that had been building, loudly and bitterly, for longer than either would admit.
The Prudential Center in Newark was packed Saturday night for a fight that had been building longer than either man wanted to admit. Khamzat Chimaev walked to the octagon as undefeated middleweight champion, belt in hand, and the crowd greeted him with sustained boos. The tension with Sean Strickland had grown genuinely ugly during the buildup — ugly enough that Dana White ranked it among the top three rivalries in UFC history. On Thursday, Chimaev had kicked Strickland at the face-off. Now they were here to settle it.
Chimaev's path to the title had been anything but smooth. After a stunning debut campaign in 2020 — two wins in ten days — visa complications and COVID had repeatedly stalled his rise. When he finally got his shot at UFC 319 in August, he made it count, outpointing Dricus du Plessis in a dominant performance to go 15-0 and climb to No. 4 in the pound-for-pound rankings.
Strickland was chasing something specific. He had held the belt before, but du Plessis had beaten him twice, and those losses lingered. Outside of them, his record was compelling — recent wins over Anthony Hernandez, Paulo Costa, and Nassourdine Imavov, capped by a third-round stoppage of Hernandez in February that made his title shot undeniable. A win over Chimaev would make him only the second fighter, after Israel Adesanya, to win the UFC's 185-pound title twice.
With the crowd's disapproval raining down on the champion and Strickland making his entrance to reclaim what he'd lost, the question that had been building between them was finally about to be answered. One man would leave Newark still champion. The other would have to figure out what came next.
The Prudential Center in Newark was packed on Saturday night for a fight that had been brewing longer than either man wanted to admit. Khamzat Chimaev, the undefeated middleweight champion, was walking to the octagon with the belt he'd earned just nine months earlier, and the crowd let him know exactly what they thought of him—booing loudly as he made his way through the arena. The tension between Chimaev and Sean Strickland had turned genuinely ugly during the buildup, so much so that Dana White had called it one of the top three rivalries in UFC history. On Thursday, during a face-off, Chimaev had kicked Strickland. Now they were finally here to settle it.
Chimaev arrived at the middleweight title with an unusual path. The Chechen fighter had burst onto the scene in 2020 with a remarkable debut campaign—two wins in just ten days—but the next few years had been frustrating. COVID and visa complications had kept him sidelined far more than he wanted, limiting his appearances in the cage and slowing what should have been a meteoric rise. When he finally got his shot at the belt in August at UFC 319, he made the most of it, outpointing Dricus du Plessis with a dominant performance. At 15-0, Chimaev now sat at No. 4 in the pound-for-pound rankings, the kind of position that comes with expectations and, apparently, the kind of crowd reception that included plenty of boos.
Strickland was chasing something specific: a second reign as champion. The 30-7 fighter had held the belt before, but du Plessis had beaten him twice, and those losses still stung. Outside of those two defeats, though, Strickland had been impressive. He'd picked up recent wins over Anthony Hernandez, Paulo Costa, and Nassourdine Imavov—all legitimate contenders. In February, he'd made his case for this title shot unmistakable by stopping Hernandez in the third round. If he could beat Chimaev, he would join Israel Adesanya as only the second fighter ever to win the UFC's 185-pound title twice.
The buildup had been contentious enough that White felt compelled to rank it among the most significant rivalries the promotion had ever seen. Now, with Chimaev receiving the crowd's disapproval and Strickland making his entrance to reclaim what he'd lost, the two men were finally about to answer the question that had been building between them. The middleweight title was on the line, and one of them would leave Newark still champion while the other would have to figure out what came next.
Notable Quotes
Dana White called the Chimaev-Strickland rivalry one of the top three rivalries in UFC history— Dana White, UFC President
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a fighter like Chimaev, who's undefeated and just won the title, get booed walking into his own title defense?
Because the buildup was ugly. The rivalry had real heat to it—not the manufactured kind. Chimaev kicked Strickland during a face-off. That's not theater; that's contempt.
And Strickland's been here before. He's held the belt.
Twice he's fought du Plessis for it and lost both times. But he's beaten everyone else who matters. He's not some challenger coming out of nowhere—he's a former champion trying to get back what he lost.
Dana White called this a top-three rivalry in UFC history. That's a big claim.
It is. But when you have two fighters who genuinely dislike each other, who've had confrontations outside the cage, who both have legitimate claims to being the best middleweight—that's the kind of thing that sticks with people.
Chimaev had a strange path to the title, didn't he?
He did. Two wins in ten days when he debuted, then years of being stuck—COVID, visa problems. By the time he got his shot, he'd been waiting longer than most fighters would tolerate. When he finally beat du Plessis, it was dominant. He'd earned it.
So what's at stake for Strickland beyond just the belt?
Redemption, mostly. And history. If he wins, he's only the second fighter ever to hold that title twice. Adesanya did it. That's the company he'd be in.