John McCarthy saw no controversy in Sean Strickland’s split-decision win over Khamzat Chimaev for the UFC 328 middleweight title, saying on the Weighing In podcast that he agreed with the judges and thought the bout was scored correctly. The former referee said the contest was close, but not confusing, and that the right man left Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., with the belt after Saturday night’s main event.
McCarthy said Chimaev won the first round easily, but Strickland turned the fight around in Round 2 and the middle rounds swung back and forth. Heading into Round 5, all three judges had it 2-2, leaving the final five minutes to decide the championship. Two judges, Eric Colon and Sal D’Amato, gave the last round to Strickland, and that proved decisive in the split call.
McCarthy said the result came down to what mattered most under MMA scoring: effective offense, not just forward motion. “It doesn’t matter if you’re going forward,” he said, adding that “forward motion is nothing if there’s not effective shots being landed.” He said Chimaev touched Strickland a couple of times but did nothing that bothered him, and added that a takedown and back control without damage did not outweigh what Strickland did on the feet.
“I’ll give him credit for the takedown itself, but you did no damage. You did nothing on the ground until Sean gets up,” McCarthy said. “And then Sean ends up peppering you with that jab, lands the right hand a couple times, snaps you back, and he lands the most effective strikes by a considerable amount. He wins the round.” McCarthy said he thought Colon and D’Amato got it right and summed it up bluntly: “The right guy won.”
The split decision made the scorecards the story of the night, and the fifth round became the separator in a bout where neither fighter built a clear late lead. McCarthy’s comments also underscored how judges are supposed to weigh damage over position, a point that mattered here because Chimaev’s pressure and grappling did not produce enough offense to sway the final round. For Strickland, the win moved him to 31-7 in MMA and 18-7 in the UFC; Chimaev fell to 15-1 in MMA and 9-1 in the UFC.
