Joe Rogan wonders if Khamzat Chimaev may have hindered his performance by overbulking.<\/p>\n
Chimaev was expecting to turn in another dominant showing in the UFC 328 main event, but that didn\u2019t happen. Sean Strickland had an answer for Chimaev\u2019s grappling past the opening frame, and he made the clash in Newark a standup affair. The highly competitive title fight went the distance and Strickland was awarded the unanimous decision win<\/a> and the UFC middleweight title.<\/p>\n There had been some concern over Chimaev\u2019s weight cut prior to fight night. \u201cBorz\u201d looked noticeably drained during the early morning weigh-ins. Some even debated whether or not Chimaev truly made weight, which UFC CEO Dana White vehemently shut down when speaking to reporters.<\/p>\n At the conclusion of the UFC 328 broadcast, Rogan brought up the possibility that Chimaev got heavier than usual because he initially considered fighting for the light heavyweight title (via MMAJunkie<\/a>).<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a good question because it could have been a factor, the fact that he did try to bulk up,\u201d Rogan said. \u201cHe was thinking that he was going to fight Jiri Prochazka for 205.\u201d<\/p>\n Rogan then discussed how Strickland\u2019s past experience sparring with Chimaev gave him an advantage that very few top middleweight contenders have.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an incredible fight, an incredibly close fight,\u201d Rogan said. \u201cSean knew him from training. They both knew each other from training. So there\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n