Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland prediction, odds, pick for UFC 328

The UFC 328 Essential Card will come to an in depth as we bring you a prediction and pick for this Essential Event bout for the Middleweight (185) Championship. Champion Khamzat Chimaev of UAE will tackle No. 3-ranked Sean Strickland of the USA in a fight you will not wish to miss. Check our UFC odds series for the Chimaev-Strickland prediction and pick.

Khamzat Chimaev (15-0) is an ideal 9-0 contained in the UFC en path to becoming Middleweight Champion. He took the belt from Dricus Du Plessis via unanimous decision at UFC 319, slated to make his first title defense against a worthy challenger and arguably his biggest rival in Strickland. Chimaev stand 6-foot-2 with a 75-inch reach.

Sean Strickland (30-7) has gone 17-7 contained in the UFC since 2014 en path to capturing his own UFC championship. Since losing the title to Du Plessis, Strickland has gone 2-1 with a most up-to-date knockout over Anthony Hernandez and hopes to regain his title once more. He stands 6-foot-1 with a 76-inch reach.

UFC 328 Odds, courtesy of DraftKings. 

UFC 328 Odds: Khamzat Chimaev-Sean Strickland Odds

Khamzat Chimaev: -575

Sean Strickland: +425

Over 3.5 rounds: +130

Under 3.5 rounds: -154

Why Khamzat Chimaev Will Win

• Last Fight: (W) Dricus Du Plessis – U DEC
• Last 5: 5-0
• Finishes: 6 KO/TKO, 6 SUB

Khamzat Chimaev comes into his first title defense as Middleweight Champion facing arguably his biggest rival in Sean Strickland. Many were curious to see how Chimaev would fare against the strong takedown defense and striking of Dricus Du Plessis, but Chimaev managed to rag doll him with wrestling over the course of 5 rounds. While he wasn’t in a position to finish the previous champ, Chimaev was every bit as dominant as he was expected to be coming into that fight.

This fight will see an identical look in Sean Strickland who has significantly better grappling than many expect, but doesn’t nearly put it to use enough along with his ability to face and strike. Chimaev can be in Strickland’s world on the feet, but he’s shown an increasing willingness to face and strike with opponents over his previous couple of fights. Still, if he starts to feel pressure on the feet, Chimaev will waste no time in shooting for the takedown.

Chimaev should find a way to take Strickland down and from there, we are able to expect Chimaev to make a concerted effort to take the back and finish this fight with a rear naked choke submission. Despite Strickland’s solid grappling defense, only a few opponents have been in a position to outlast the squeeze of Chimaev and survive further rounds. While his opponent could also be built to go the gap, Chimaev could have other plans to finish this fight as quickly as possible.

Why Sean Strickland Will Win

• Last Fight: (W) Anthony Hernandez – TKO
• Last 5: 3-2
• Finishes: 12 KO/TKO, 4 SUB

Sean Strickland looked extremely sharp his last trip against a really strong striker in Anthony Hernandez. His striking seemingly continues to recuperate with each trip and far of that’s due to his constant sparring and training within the gym. This camp needed to have focused on his wrestling more, but Strickland will still be seeking to put his hands on Chimaev within the kickboxing and within the clinch.

Strickland did a terrific job keeping himself upright and competitive in two bouts against Dricus Du Plessis, but even then Strickland fell to the takedown and couldn’t overwhelm his physically imposing opponent. He may even see similar struggles against Chimaev as his physical strength has been noted by previous opponents, so Strickland could have to dig into his bag of tricks to force a reversal or find top position on Chimaev.

His hands can be his best weapon, nonetheless, and Strickland isn’t any stranger to mental warfare heading right into a fight. Whether or not he’s actually in a position to get inside Chimaev’s head can be determined on Saturday, but he’ll take any edge he can get as he comes into the fight one in every of the larger underdogs on the cardboard.

Final Khamzat Chimaev-Sean Strickland Prediction & Pick

This fight won’t only be interesting from a stylistic standpoint, however it’ll even be interesting to see how high emotions run considering the rivalry between these two. We shouldn’t expect Khamzat Chimaev to make too many mental mistakes as he’s typically dominant along with his performances, but Sean Strickland stands out as the exact fighter to force mistakes out of him and make him derive from his original game plan.

Still, while Strickland should find a way to hit Chimaev with one or two lethal combos that will wobble him, it’s only a matter of time before Chimaev starts spamming the takedowns and brings this fight to the bottom. From there, I believe he’s intent on hurting Strickland and locking in a choke submission, so do not be surprised if Chimaev holds onto that choke slightly longer after the referee calls this fight.

Final Khamzat Chimaev-Sean Strickland Prediction & Pick: Khamzat Chimaev (-575); OVER 3.5 Rounds (+130)