Daniel Cormier believes Sean Strickland let a major opportunity slip away in his UFC 328 title fight against Khamzat Chimaev on May 10, when Strickland edged Chimaev by split decision in the main event and reclaimed the middleweight championship. The fight added another high-stakes chapter to one of the division’s most crowded title pictures, where every round now carries real consequences for the next contender.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former two-division UFC champion said the momentum of the fight turned on Strickland’s decision-making in the third round. Cormier pointed to the early wrestling exchanges, with Chimaev landing takedowns in the first and Strickland returning the favor with his own attempts in the second before settling behind his jab in the third.
Cormier’s view was that Strickland had Chimaev in a vulnerable spot and failed to press the issue. According to him, Chimaev appeared to hit an adrenaline dump, and that was the moment for Strickland to step on the gas and try to break him. Instead, Strickland stayed measured, and Cormier suggested that decision allowed Chimaev to survive and reset.
That matters beyond one sequence. For Strickland, this was a chance to prove he can make in-fight adjustments against elite pressure wrestlers, the kind of challenge that has defined the middleweight title conversation. For Chimaev, even in defeat, the performance reinforced why many American fans and media still view him as one of the most dangerous style-matchup problems in the division. His explosiveness and forward pressure remain real weapons, especially when opponents hesitate.
Cormier said Chimaev looked much more like himself again in the fourth, driving the action and forcing Strickland backward. In a division loaded with contenders, that swing likely keeps Chimaev near the top of the queue while Strickland moves forward as champion with even tougher stylistic tests waiting.
The next question is whether Strickland’s second run with the belt leads to a rematch, a fresh contender, or another pressure-heavy matchup that will test whether he learned from the opening Cormier thinks he missed.