Georges St-Pierre praises Sean Strickland's upset of 'better fighter' Khamzat Chimaev
Georges St-Pierre is in awe of Sean Strickland's ability to show up in the big moments, and isn't certain Khamzat Chimaev shares that trait.
Georges St-Pierre is impressed by Sean Strickland 's upset of Khamzat Chimaev to become a two-time UFC middleweight champion. Prior to Saturday's stunning title change at UFC 328 , former 185-pound and welterweight champion St-Pierre felt Chimaev (15-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) was the "better fighter," but did not rule out Strickland (30-7 MMA, 18-7 UFC) and his ability to put it all together on the night. Strickland did the latter, taking Chimaev's patented explosion in the first round, then turning it into a competitive fight for the duration and leaving it in the hands of the judges.
It was a close call, but Strickland emerged with the split decision triumph . "I was surprised myself," St-Pierre told MMA Junkie. "The odds highly favored for Khamzat.
I think Sean should change his nickname for 'The Boogeyman. ' He's been doing this a few times now. He beats guys that nobody thinks he's going to beat.
It's pretty unbelievable what he's been doing. He did it with a shoulder injury, and it's pretty amazing what he did. It looked like Khamzat got tired very fast.