Joe Rogan has weighed in on Khamzat Chimaev’s difficult weight cut and razor-close title fight with Sean Strickland in the UFC 328 main event at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Chimaev defended his middleweight title against Strickland after being the last fighter to step on the scale and making 185 pounds for middleweight, amid controversy about how quickly his weight was read. He went on to lose a split decision after slowing down in Round 2 and then rallying later in the fight.
"It was an incredible fight, an incredibly close fight," Rogan said, noting the familiarity between the two. "Sean knew him from training. They both knew each other from training. So there's that element to it that they kind of knew what to expect because they had interacted with each other before, at least in a sparring way."
Rogan highlighted the pace both men pushed down the stretch. "But man, what a fight. It's one of those fights where both guys just drained the tank, particularly in that fifth round. You could see as Sean's hitting him, everything they had, they emptied it out. The scorecards reflected that. It was so close."
Chimaev told Dana White immediately after the fight that he wanted to move up to 205 pounds, but later called for a rematch with Strickland. Rogan pointed to Chimaev’s preparation, saying, "It was a good question because it could have been a factor, the fact that he did try to bulk up," and added, "He was thinking that he was going to fight Jiri Prochazka for 205."
