Colby Covington anticipates that Khamzat Chimaev would assert clear dominance over Sean Strickland in their upcoming showdown.
Chimaev is set to defend his middleweight title for the first time against former champion Strickland in the main event of UFC 328, scheduled for May 9 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
“Borz” captured the 185-pound title with a grappling-heavy performance against Dricus du Plessis, earning a unanimous decision victory at UFC 319 in August 2025. The 31-year-old Chechen remains undefeated at 15–0, including a perfect 9–0 run in the UFC, and is widely tipped to continue his run against Strickland, driven by his aggressive approach.
Meanwhile, the 35-year-old American made his return after a year-long break, following a lopsided unanimous decision loss to Dricus du Plessis in their title clash at UFC 312 in February 2025. He bounced back in emphatic fashion, scoring a knockout victory over surging contender Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston last month.
Strickland now holds a 17–7 record inside the Octagon and will be aiming to reclaim the title he first captured with a decision win over former champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in September 2023.
Colby Covington Predicts Tactical Approach From Khamzat Chimaev Against Sean Strickland
During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Colby Covington was asked to share his thoughts on the Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland title clash. “Chaos” described it as a stylistic mismatch, suggesting that “Borz” will likely rely on his elite grappling to neutralize Strickland’s striking threat.
“No, I’m not giving him [Strickland] a chance,” Covington said. “[Anthony] Hernandez and Khamzat are completely different levels of grapplers and the way they approach their strategy. So, I think Khamzat’s going to take him down and submit him.”
The former UFC welterweight champion further revisited the widely discussed 2022 sparring session between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland, which drew conflicting accounts from both camps, and asserted that the reigning champion dominated Strickland back then and is likely to replicate that performance on May 9.
“Schmo went and watched them spar back at Extreme Couture a couple of years ago, and he pretty much said it wasn’t competitive. He was just taking him down and submitting him. So, I expect that same game plan.
Covington stated that “Borz” would adopt a calculated game plan and is likely to control the fight decisively.
“He’s not going to be stupid and strike with Sean and make it a kickboxing fight. He’s just going to make it straight grappling, and I think he’s going to put Strickland in some really bad positions and either submit him or just hold him out for 25 minutes.”
