With Sean Strickland being discussed as a possible challenger for Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 3XX, fellow middleweight Joe Pyfer believes the path to victory is clear. Speaking recently, Pyfer laid out an early-fight strategy for Strickland against the reigning UFC middleweight champion, a matchup that would immediately reshape one of the promotion’s deepest divisions.
For Strickland, the stakes go far beyond another title shot. A win would put him back on top after an up-and-down stretch at the elite level and reinforce his standing as one of the division’s toughest style problems. For Chimaev, beating a durable, high-volume striker like Strickland would answer lingering questions about how his pressure-heavy grappling game holds up over an extended fight against a proven five-round veteran.
Pyfer’s read of the matchup centered on Chimaev’s fast starts and wrestling pressure. In his view, the champion’s early strikes are likely to serve as setups for takedowns, with the goal of forcing grappling exchanges and draining Strickland early. The advice was straightforward: meet Chimaev in the center, throw aggressively, match his level changes, or stay low and balanced enough to deny the entry.
"Every strike Khamzat Chimaev throws early, he’ll be throwing to set up the first takedown. He’ll want to force the grappling right away to wear you out. In the first 10 minutes of this fight, you either need to meet him in the center, throw everything you’ve got and change levels with him, or stay as low as possible and remain stable so you don’t let him get in on a shot. Then you’ll have a very good chance to win," Pyfer said in an interview with Home of Fight.
That assessment lines up with how many American fans and analysts view this fight: if Strickland keeps it standing and turns it into a long, ugly boxing match, the momentum can shift quickly. If Chimaev gets to his wrestling early, the champion could break the fight open before Strickland ever finds his rhythm. If the matchup becomes official, the first two rounds will tell the whole story.