Khamzat Chimaev’s loss appears to be hitting some of his fans far harder than the fighter himself.
On Saturday, Chimaev defended his middleweight title for the first time against former champion Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 328 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, but the night unfolded far differently than he had likely envisioned.
Although “Borz” came out strong with an impressive first round fueled by his trademark grappling-heavy attack, securing an early takedown and controlling Strickland on the ground for nearly the entire round, he struggled to maintain that same intensity as the fight wore on.
Chimaev found himself repeatedly eating stiff lead jabs from Strickland, with the constant pressure forcing him onto the back foot and making him increasingly reluctant to shoot for takedowns. Despite that, the defending champion still had his moments, landing several sharp strikes of his own and making multiple rounds razor close.
In the end, however, Strickland’s relentless volume and cleaner accuracy swayed the judges, earning him two 48-47 scorecards, while the third judge scored it 48-47 for Chimaev, resulting in a narrow split-decision defeat for “Borz”.
What was already a heartbreaking night for Khamzat Chimaev and his supporters has seemingly turned even more tragic for two of his Uzbekistani fans.
UFC 328 Shock Turns Dark As Two Uzbekistani Fans Reportedly Die By Suicide After Losing Loan Money On Khamzat Chimaev
On Sunday night, several heartbreaking posts surfaced across social media claiming that two men from Uzbekistan had taken out massive loans after apparently selling their cars and even their wives’ jewelry to place huge bets on Khamzat Chimaev staying undefeated at UFC 328.
But after “Borz” lost his middleweight title to Sean Strickland, both men reportedly took their own lives in the tragic aftermath of the event. As of now, no official statement or confirmation from authorities regarding the incident has been released.
Following UFC 328, Khamzat Chimaev’s professional record now stands at 15-1. Prior to the setback, “Borz” had built an undefeated 9-0 run inside the UFC with notable wins over elite names such as Robert Whittaker, Gilbert Burns, and Kamaru Usman.
The Chechen-born star had captured the 185-pound title at UFC 319 in August 2025, where he dominated Dricus Du Plessis en route to a commanding unanimous decision victory.
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