Sean Strickland did the impossible. Twice.

For the second time in three years, Strickland waltzed into a UFC title fight as a massive underdog and waltzed out of the cage with the middleweight title wrapped around his waist. In 2023, Israel Adesanya was the dominant champion whom Strickland toppled in a result few saw coming, and on Saturday night at UFC 328, it was Khamzat Chimaev’s turn to suffer the wrath of the division’s ultimate spoiler.

Using a mix of his relentless Philly Shell-esque striking and a masterful command of defensive wrestling, Strickland eked out a split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) to hand Chimaev the first defeat of the Chechen’s otherwise flawless MMA career.

Not surprisingly, given how competitive the back-and-forth affair was, Strickland’s fellow fighters were split on UFC 328’s result, with some singing Strickland’s praises and others casting doubt on the judges’ decision. Two of middleweight’s top contenders, Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho, also wasted little time calling for their first shots at the belt.

Check out the reaction to Strickland vs. Chimaev below.

Check out full UFC 328: Chimaev vs. Strickland results and highlights here, as well as Uncrowned's play-by-play for the entire main card.

Sean Brady found himself under a microscope Saturday night ahead of his UFC 328 main card bout against Joaquin Buckley. As it turns out, it was much ado about nothing.

Brady (18-2) used his formidable wrestling to dominate Buckley (21-7) and win a wide unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-27), quelling concerns after a surge of abnormal pre-fight betting movement raised eyebrows and flipped Brady from a sizable favorite to a sizable underdog.

Brady scored takedowns in all three rounds and overwhelmed Buckley with a steady diet of top control and ground-and-pound, rebounding in a major way after suffering a first-round knockout loss to Michael Morales this past November. Brady has now won four of his pasts five bouts and returns to title contention in the UFC’s welterweight division.

“Especially after coming in after getting TKO’d by Morales, I wasn’t mentally in that fight,” a fired-up Brady said post-fight. “But this fight camp, this fight, I was locked the f*** for 15 minutes, and that’s what happens. I didn’t get the finish, but nobody’s ever dominated Buckley that way. [Kamaru] Usman couldn’t hold him down the way I did, no one can hold him down. I deserve to be in the top five. I’m right back in this b****.”

Brady’s win is likely a relief to the UFC and its executives after some worrying signs began appearing early Saturday. The Philadelphia native was tabbed as more than a 2-to-1 betting favorite throughout fight week, until a flood of late money poured in on Buckley less than 24 hours before the opening bell, suddenly pushing Brady to almost a 2-to-1 underdog and forcing some sportsbooks to limit action on the bout.

The situation triggered a concerning sense of deja vu for a sport that’s becoming all too familiar with betting controversies. In November, featherweight Isaac Dulgarian was cut from the UFC following a bizarre first-round loss to Yadier del Valle at UFC Vegas 110 that immediately came under fire for irregular pre-fight betting patterns and Dulgarian’s suspicious performance. The FBI ultimately became involved in Dulgarian’s loss and an investigation into the matter is believed to be ongoing.

Featherweight Darrick Minner was similarly cut by the UFC in 2022 following a suspicious first-round loss to Shayilan Nuerdanbieke that resulted in NAC suspensions for both Minner and his coach James Krause. Prior to that, South Korean lightweight Tae Hyun Bang was sentenced to 10 months in prison alongside three others involved in a scheme to throw a 2015 fight against Leo Kuntz on a UFC event held in South Korea.

Most recently, a lightweight bout between long-time veterans Alexander Hernandez and Michael Johnson was scrapped this past January in the hours before UFC 324 amid suspicious betting movement toward a Johnson win. UFC CEO Dana White confirmed after the event that Hernandez vs. Johnson was canceled due to the irregularities.

"We got called from the gaming integrity service and I said, 'I'm not doing this s*** again,'“ White said in January, “so we pulled the fight.”

Fortunately, Saturday’s bout between Brady and Buckley did not meet the same fate.

Check out full UFC 328: Chimaev vs. Strickland results and highlights here, as well as Uncrowned's play-by-play for the entire main card.