His face was shattered, yet he grinned, saying, "This is the best job in the world." 'Champion' Strickland, with a collapsed nose and dislocated shoulder, shows 'madness'.

*This content was translated by AI.

The 'rascal' who became champion, Sean Strickland (35), revealed his injured face and shared a cheerful reaction.

On the 10th (Korean time), at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, USA, Strickland defeated champion Khamzat Chimaev in a grueling five-round middleweight (83.9kg) title bout at the main event of 'UFC 328: Chimaev vs. Strickland' via a 2-1 split decision.

With this victory, Strickland became the second fighter in UFC middleweight history to hold the championship belt twice, following Israel Adesanya. He first became champion by defeating Adesanya in September 2023 but lost the title after suffering a decision loss to Derek Brunson in his first title defense. Meanwhile, Chimaev suffered his first career defeat.

The road to becoming champion was no easy battle. The UK's 'The Sun' reported on the day that "Strickland suffered a horrific facial injury after a bloody battle with Chimaev."

The match escalated into a bloody affair. Due to Chimaev's powerful strikes, Strickland's nasal bone was completely collapsed, and a deep bruise formed under his left eye. Immediately after the fight, Strickland posted a photo of his swollen face on his Instagram, leaving the comment, "The best job in the world."

In a post-fight interview, Strickland said, "I think my nose bone is broken," but also credited his fans, stating, "I wouldn't be here without my fans. I sincerely love fans of all religions and races."

It was also revealed that Strickland fought while suffering from a serious shoulder injury. At the press conference, he confessed, "I dislocated my shoulder during sparring with Johnny Eblen on Tuesday, four days before the fight. The pain was so severe I couldn't even lie on my right side, but I went ahead with the fight."

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*This content was translated by AI.