Ahead of UFC 328, oddsmakers see Sean Strickland as the underdog with DraftKings listing him at +425 against Khamzat Chimaev. This suggests not many are willing to bet on the former champion reclaiming the title in Newark come Saturday night. However, Islam Makhachev believes the fight may not be as one-sided as the odds suggest.

The reigning welterweight champion thinks Sean Strickland’s takedown defense could completely change the fight if it reaches the later rounds.

“I have already told my teammates here in camp,” Islam Makhachev told Red Corner MMA in Russian. “As we discussed it, if Khamzat manages to do what he usually does early, it could be a very easy fight. But if it goes all five rounds, then he would have to work really hard, unlike it was with Dricus Du Plessis, who was lying on his back and couldn’t get up. No, I think Strickland will keep working his way up, getting back to his feet and fighting back.

“I mean, the guys who worked with him at Xtreme Couture in Vegas say he’s constantly trying to get up from the ground. I asked Ramazan Kuramagomedov when we spoke not long ago, we were on the same flight to Europe, and he said, ‘I sparred with him a lot, he never stays down. I take him down, and he keeps getting up, over and over again, back to his feet and striking.’”

Sean Strickland does have one of the best takedown defense rates in the middleweight division, defending 76% of attempts. Most notably, Kamaru Usman (UFC 210 in 170 lbs) and Dricus du Plessis (UFC 297) managed to take  Strickland down. In his last fight, the 35-year-old looked relentless against wrestling-based fighter Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston. And now, according to the former middleweight champion’s teammates, he has been putting even more effort into sharpening his wrestling ahead of UFC 328.

Recently, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who is part of Strickland’s gym, revealed that the Nevada native has been heavily focused on wrestling to counter the Chechen-Emirati contender’s threat. Later, the 35-year-old also disclosed that he has been training with former Bellator champion and wrestling specialist Johnny Eblen in preparation for UFC 328. Now, Makhachev’s compatriot Ramazan Kuramagomedov, who also trains at Xtreme Couture, has echoed the same sentiment.

With so much praise surrounding Strickland’s wrestling improvements, it is understandable why Islam Makhachev sees the fight playing out differently despite Khamzat Chimaev entering as a massive -550 favorite. Beyond the Dagestani icon, fighters like Jorge Masvidal also believe the Nevada native has a legitimate chance of reclaiming the championship because of his grappling improvements.

Now, amid the growing chorus of support for Strickland, a former UFC veteran has painted a completely different picture of how UFC 328 could end.  

Dustin Poirier predicts grim ending for Sean Strickland at UFC 328  

As many fighters and analysts are backing Sean Strickland’s takedown defense to work its magic this weekend in Newark, Dustin Poirier believes that will not be the case. ‘The Diamond’ is confident that Khamzat Chimaev will win at UFC 328 rather comfortably.

To back up his claim, Poirier stated that Strickland’s takedown defense alone would not be enough to save him from Chimaev’s relentless grappling. He also questioned the former champion’s footwork and power, two areas Poirier believes could ultimately fall short against the undefeated contender.

“I’m pretty confident Khamzat gets it done against Sean,” Poirier said during ESPN’s expert picks. “I don’t think Sean can stop Chimaev’s takedowns; nobody else has. Sean has decent takedown defense, but this is different. Sean’s footwork is not the best, and it needs to be great to keep Khamzat guessing.

“And to give himself a chance, he needs to stay off the fence by any means necessary. Sean is very heavy on the front foot. Those jabs and teep kicks are effective, but they’re not devastating enough to change a fight.”

Strickland’s takedown defense could certainly give him moments in the fight, but he may still need to seriously hurt Chimaev to win rounds convincingly or possibly secure a knockout. Even Dricus du Plessis, whom many consider a more dangerous striker than Strickland after winning two fights, struggled to damage the Chechen-Emirati contender during their fight and ultimately got controlled on the ground at UFC 319.

That said, with only a few hours remaining until UFC 328, the MMA world will soon find out whether Strickland can pull off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.