Arman Tsarukyan Comments on Khamzat Chimaev's First UFC Loss

According to Arman Tsarukyan, Khamzat Chimaev should have won his fight at UFC 328. Tsarukyan, who was in Chimaev's corner during the event, expressed his support for him after the loss to Sean Strickland.

In Saturday night's main event at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Sean Strickland reclaimed the UFC middleweight title for the second time. He secured a split decision victory over Chimaev after a hard-fought five-round battle. Following the bout, Strickland and Chimaev appeared to mend fences after a tense build-up, but Tsarukyan seemed dissatisfied with the final outcome.

While not stating it directly, Tsarukyan is clearly critical of the judges' decision. Two of the judges, Eric Colon and Sal D'Amato, scored the fight 48-47 for Strickland, awarding him rounds 2, 3, and 5. The third judge, Sue Sanidad, scored it 48-47 for Chimaev, giving him rounds 1, 4, and 5.

Tsarukyan worked closely with Chimaev in preparation for his first title defense, so it's no surprise he's siding with the now-former champion. Chimaev will now need to rebound from the first loss of his career. He won the belt with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319 last August, but against the resilient Strickland, he struggled to maintain a consistent offense.

It now appears Chimaev will move up to light heavyweight, although he also hinted at the possibility of a rematch with Strickland after his Saturday defeat.