Mick Maynard's Shoes: What's next for Sean Strickland after UFC 328 title win?

Winning the UFC middleweight title is so nice, Sean Strickland has done it twice. And in massive upsets, no less, after Strickland (31-7 MMA, 18-7 UFC) pulled off what many thought was an unthinkable accomplishment yet again Saturday by dethroning Khamzat Chimaev (15-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) of the belt by split decision at Prudential Center in Newark, N. J.

It wasn't the one-sided masterclass Strickland produced when he shocked Israel Adesanya to claim gold for the first time at UFC 293 in September 2023. However, it was arguably the more stunning result because of the hype around Chimaev and his undefeated record. Strickland vowed he had all the answers for "The Wolf," and he backed up all those comments to a pretty sizable degree.

Strickland, 35, took his career and legacy to a new level with this performance, however, and he cannot be denied as one of the best middleweights ever. He still has opportunity to do more, though, and the biggest goal going forward should be to do what he couldn't in his first reign: Defend the gold. Strickland's first title reign was short-lived at just 132 days before Dricus Du Plessis took it away from him.

If he wants to make this reign last, he should first have to get through Nassourdine Imavov (17-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who is on a five-fight winning streak and is more than worthy of his first chance at gold. Strickland defeated Imavov by unanimous decision in a short-notice main event at light heavyweight at UFC Fight Night 217 in January 2023. He hasn't tasted defeat since, and it would be fascinating to see how he would approach a rematch all these years later with more experience and confidence on his side.