Khamzat Chimaev lost his undefeated record and the middleweight title at UFC 328 to Sean Strickland via split decision. He was cornered by his longtime friend and training partner, UFC lightweight Arman Tsarukyan . Following the event, the Armenian has struck out against the judges at UFC 328 on social media.
The main event of UFC 328 was scored 48-47 in favor of Sean Strickland by judges Eric Colon and Sal D'Amato. They scored rounds 2,3, and 5 for the American. However, Sue Sanidad had rounds 1, 4, and 5 going Chimaev's way, scoring the fight 48-47 in his favor. As such, Chimaev lost via split decision.
Arman Tsarukyan had predicted a first-round rear-naked choke victory for his teammate when Dana White asked him right before the fight began. But now, it appears he agrees with the scorecard turned in by Sanidad. The Armenian lightweight has made his displeasure over the judges' decision at UFC 328 known on Instagram.
We fought our hearts tonight and everyone watching knows what really happened. Head up Champ. You will get your belt back soon.
Arman Tsarukyan via InstagramEven if he hasn't explicitly mentioned it, all signs suggest an implication of a robbery decision. This was further validated by Tsarukyan leaving yet another comment on Instagram reacting to his own prediction of a 1st round submission. The lightweight joked that he and his teammate were 'submitted by the judges.'
Moreover, the Armenian seems to be hinting at Chimaev eventually rematching Strickland for the title. However, Dana White dismissed the possibility of a rematch, claiming Chimaev asked to move up to the light heavyweight division immediately after his UFC 328 loss.
Arman Tsarukyan himself has been on the receiving end of a controversial loss that many believe was a 'robbery'. Tsarukyan believed he won his fight against Mateusz Gamrot at UFC Vegas 57.
Even so, after helping Chimaev prepare for Strickland, the Armenian seemed crushed by the judges' decision at UFC 328. Nothing was more telling of this than his reaction to Bruce Buffer's announcement in the cage.
Arman Tsarukyan and Khamzat Chimaev have become inseparable in recent years. The pair of UFC fighters also frequently collaborate for content, even clashing in a grappling match for a reality show a couple of years ago. But above all, the Armenian lightweight is among the primary training partners in Khamzat Chimaev's training camp, even cornering the Chechen at UFC 328.
Given this level of investment, Tsarukyan's reaction to Khamzat Chimaev losing his belt was wholly understandable. Despite this being his first-ever loss, the former champion applauded his rival's win and did not seem too perturbed by it all. He even embraced Sean Strickland after the loss. However, Tsarukyan actually looked more crestfallen than Khamzat Chimaev by the latter's loss at UFC 328.
The Armenian immediately fell to his knees when Bruce Buffer announced the winner. The 29-year-old stayed on the cage floor for a while as Strickland celebrated regaining his middleweight title. However, later, Arman Tsarukyan was seen embracing Chimaev and giving him some words of encouragement following the fight.
It is clear from the clip that Tsarukyan and Chimaev share a close bond. Even so, the Armenian lightweight has bigger things to worry about than his teammate's loss at UFC 328. Tsarukyan was announced as the backup fighter for the upcoming UFC lightweight title fight at UFC Freedom 250.
Moreover, he has not one, but two RAF matchups coming up against influencer Mugzy and UFC legend Tony Ferguson, respectively. As such, it remains to be seen if the UFC lightweight pulls out of those commitments to focus on being a backup.
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