Joe
Pyfer is not a fan of Khamzat
Chimaev.
Sean
Strickland (30-7) is scheduled to challenge Chimaev (15-0) for
the middleweight title in the main event at UFC 328
on May 9 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. While
Chimaev is a heavy favorite, many believe Strickland could pose a
serious threat to the Chechen-born champion.
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Pyfer wants Strickland to defeat Chimaev. Pyfer doesn’t like the
inactivity of Chimaev, who is set to defend his title for the first
time since winning it against Dricus Du
Plessis in August 2025. Pyfer believes Strickland’s elite
defense will be his strongest weapon against Strickland. While
Strickland has lost twice against Du Plessis, Pyfer believes the
South African was a stylistically unsuitable matchup for
Strickland.
Defense Wins Championships?
“I want Sean Strickland to win,” Pyfer said on the „Death Row MMA” podcast. “I don’t like the
inactivity of Khamzat… I think more than anything, Sean’s got good
defense. Doesn’t really get clipped too much where he is taking
massive shots and then it builds up over time. I think DDP was a
wild card for him cause he is just as awkward. But I got Sean
Strickland. I’m not even gonna say it, but I’m not a fan of the
other side.”
Strickland lost his title to Du Plessis in 2024 and failed to
regain it in their rematch last year. Strickland has since
rebounded with anupset win against Anthony
Hernandez this past February. Meanwhile, Chimaev almost walked
through every
UFC opponent so far, barring Kamaru
Usman and Gilbert
Burns.