Sean Strickland discusses injury suffered before UFC 328, squashing beef with Chimaev

Sean Strickland regained the UFC middleweight title with a split-decision win over Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328 at the Prudential Center, marking his return as champion. After early grappling at UFC 328, Strickland turned the bout into a standup battle and outlanded Chimaev 123–98 in significant strikes. Despite nine takedowns, Chimaev recorded 7:16 of control time. Post-fight, Strickland said he suffered a Grade 1 AC joint separation on Tuesday while sparring former Bellator champion Johnny Eblen. He also downplayed animosity with Chimaev, describing much of the pre-fight talk as promotion. With Chimaev considering a move to light heavyweight, Strickland signaled openness to the next contender, likely Nassourdine Imavov.