Colby Covington anticipates a clear dominance from Khamzat Chimaev over Sean Strickland in their upcoming middleweight title bout. The highly anticipated fight between Chimaev, making his first title defense, and former champion Strickland, is scheduled to headline UFC 328 on May 9 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
“Borz” claimed the 185-pound title with a grappling-heavy performance against Dricus du Plessis, earning a unanimous decision victory at UFC 319 in August 2025. The 31-year-old Chechen fighter remains undefeated with a 15–0 record, including a perfect 9–0 run in the UFC. His aggressive approach leads many to believe he will extend his winning streak against Strickland.
Meanwhile, the 35-year-old American made his return after a year-long break, following a lopsided unanimous decision loss to Dricus du Plessis in their title clash at UFC 312 in February 2025. Strickland bounced back impressively, scoring a knockout victory over rising contender Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston last month.
Strickland now holds a 17–7 record inside the Octagon and will be aiming to reclaim the title he first captured with a decision win over former champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in September 2023.
Covington Predicts Tactical Grappling from Chimaev Against Strickland
During a recent interview, Colby Covington shared his thoughts on the Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland title bout, describing it as a stylistic mismatch. “Chaos” suggested that “Borz” would likely rely on his elite grappling to neutralize Strickland’s striking threat.
“No, I’m not giving him [Strickland] a chance,” Covington stated. “[Anthony] Hernandez and Khamzat are completely different levels of grapplers and the way they approach their strategy. So, I think Khamzat’s going to take him down and submit him.”
The former UFC welterweight champion also recalled a widely discussed 2022 sparring session between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland, which drew conflicting accounts from both camps. Covington asserted that the reigning champion dominated Strickland back then and is likely to repeat that performance on May 9.
“Schmo went and watched them spar back at Extreme Couture a couple of years ago, and he pretty much said it wasn’t competitive. He was just taking him down and submitting him,” Covington added. “So, I expect that same game plan.”
Covington believes “Borz” will adopt a calculated game plan and is likely to control the fight decisively.
“He’s not going to be stupid and strike with Sean and make it a kickboxing fight. He’s just going to make it straight grappling, and I think he’s going to put Strickland in some really bad positions and either submit him or just hold him out for 25 minutes.”