Sean Strickland picked as only middleweight who can dethrone Khamzat Chimaev

Din Thomas believes Sean Strickland’s last win over Anthony Hernandez proves he’s the only middleweight that can beat Khamzat Chimaev.

UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev will return to the Octagon faster than predicted against former titleholder Sean Strickland in the UFC 328 main event on May 9th. Chimaev won the middleweight belt dominantly against Dricus du Plessis last year at UFC 319.

Despite initial pushback, Strickland’s upcoming middleweight title shot was earned off of an impressive TKO win over the surging Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston earlier this year. Strickland bounced back following a UFC 312 rematch loss to Du Plessis last year.

Chimaev, unbeaten in his UFC career, could reign in the middleweight division for years to come. Top contenders such as Nassourdine Imavov, Caio Borralho, and former champion Du Plessis are waiting in the wings for a shot at the title.

But one UFC analyst believes Strickland is the only top contender who can pose a problem for the reigning titleholder.

Din Thomas: ‘Sharp as hell’ Sean Strickland only 185-lber that can beat Khamzat Chimaev

In a recent interview on The Bohnfire podcast, UFC analyst Din Thomas shared a bold take on Strickland’s chances against Chimaev.

“Sean looked so good in his last fight that I believe he’s capable of beating Chimaev, and he might be the only middleweight on the planet right now that’s capable of beating Chimaev,” Thomas said of Strickland.

“If we had Nassourdine (Imavov), for as great as he is, in my head, I couldn’t see it happening. But I can see Sean Strickland doing it. He looked sharp as hell in his last fight. He looked amazing in his last fight. If he can carry that over in this fight, he might beat Chimaev. So, that’s intriguing to me.

“Also what’s intriguing to me is they have history, and that’s partially one of the biggest factors that makes any fight interesting is history,” Thomas continued on Strickland and Chimaev. “And when you consider that they may not like each other, it’s probably somewhat real. Like a lot of guys fabricate the beef so that they can sell it, but you can tell that these guys probably don’t really care for each other.”

Thomas isn’t the only MMA expert to tout Strickland’s chances against Chimaev. Du Plessis believes that after fighting with Chimaev for 25 minutes at UFC 319, Strickland can give Chimaev a tough challenge when they meet in the Octagon.