Demetrious Johnson Explains What Went Wrong for Khamzat Chimaev After UFC 328 Defeat

The former UFC flyweight champion also said that fighters sometimes confuse nonstop hard work with real progress. Johnson believes adding tough workouts to already hard sparring just wears the body down over time.

“If I spend all day sparring and drilling, then go destroy my body with extra workouts on top of that, I’m just breaking myself down,” he explained. “We’ve learned that less is more, and more is less,” Johnson said. “Sometimes you’re better off taking a couple of days off, relaxing instead of being in the gym twice a day every day.”

Johnson compared old-school training habits to the more careful approach used by today’s athletes. He said that recovery is now just as important as hard work in top-level combat sports.

Khamzat Chimaev Suffers First Career Loss in UFC 328 War

UFC 328 featured one of the closest middleweight title fights in recent years, with Strickland winning back the belt by a narrow split decision over Chimaev in Newark. Two judges scored it 48-47 for Strickland, while the third judge gave the fight to Chimaev.

Chimaev started the fight strong, using his wrestling to control the early rounds and threaten with submissions. But Strickland slowly took over with his jab, steady pressure, and better takedown defense. In the later rounds, Strickland looked fresher and more in control, while Chimaev seemed to slow down.

The close scorecards led to immediate claims of a robbery on social media. Some fans thought Chimaev’s grappling and control should have won him the fight, while others said Strickland’s striking and defense earned him the last rounds.