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

The UFC 328 Main Card will come to a close as we bring you a prediction and pick for this Main Event bout for the Middleweight (185) Championship. Champion Khamzat Chimaev of UAE will take on No. 3-ranked Sean Strickland of the United States in a fight you won’t want to miss. Check our UFC odds series for the Chimaev-Strickland prediction and pick.

Khamzat Chimaev (15-0) is a perfect 9-0 inside the UFC en route 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 inside the UFC since 2014 en route to capturing his own UFC championship. Since losing the title to Du Plessis, Strickland has gone 2-1 with a most recent knockout over Anthony Hernandez and hopes to regain his title once again. 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 five rounds. While he wasn’t able to finish the former champ, Chimaev was every bit as dominant as he was expected to be coming into that fight.

This fight will see a similar look in Sean Strickland who has much better grappling than many expect, but doesn’t nearly utilize it enough with his ability to stand and strike. Chimaev will be in Strickland’s world on the feet, but he’s shown an increasing willingness to stand and strike with opponents over his last few fights. Still, if he starts to feel pressure on the feet, Chimaev will waste no time in shooting for the takedown.

Chimaev should be able to take Strickland down and from there, we can 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, very few opponents have been able to outlast the squeeze of Chimaev and survive further rounds. While his opponent may be built to go the distance, Chimaev will have other plans to end 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 time out against a very strong striker in Anthony Hernandez. His striking seemingly continues to get better with each time out and much of that is thanks to his constant sparring and training in the gym. This camp had to have focused on his wrestling more, but Strickland will still be looking to put his hands on Chimaev in the kickboxing and in the clinch.

Strickland did a great 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 see similar struggles against Chimaev as his physical strength has been noted by previous opponents, so Strickland may have to dig into his bag of tricks to force a reversal or find top position on Chimaev.

His hands will be his greatest weapon, however, and Strickland is no stranger to mental warfare heading into a fight. Whether or not he’s actually able to get inside Chimaev’s head will be determined on Saturday, but he’ll take any edge he can get as he comes into the fight one of the bigger underdogs on the card.

Final Khamzat Chimaev-Sean Strickland Prediction & Pick

This fight will not only be interesting from a stylistic standpoint, but it’ll also 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 with his performances, but Sean Strickland may be the exact fighter to force mistakes out of him and make him derive from his original game plan.

Still, while Strickland should be able to hit Chimaev with one or two lethal combinations that may wobble him, it’s only a matter of time before Chimaev starts spamming the takedowns and brings this fight to the ground. From there, I think he’s intent on hurting Strickland and locking in a choke submission, so don’t be surprised if Chimaev holds onto that choke a little longer after the referee calls this fight.

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

The post Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland prediction, odds, pick for UFC 328 appeared first on ClutchPoints.