Demetrious Johnson thinks Khamzat Chimaev went too hard in training for UFC 328.
Chimaev (15-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) lost his middleweight title to Sean Strickland (31-7 MMA, 18-7 UFC) by split decision in Saturday’s main event at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The difference maker in the outcome was Round 5, which two judges awarded to Strickland.
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For his second straight camp, Chimaev did his strength and conditioning at the garage with coach Sam Calavitta. While his cardio held up for five rounds against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319, he slowed down considerably in Round 2 against Strickland and pulled guard after a failed takedown.
“In my personal opinion, I think he trains too hard,” Johnson said on his YouTube channel. “There’s a point in time where when you’re in shape, your cardio threshold can only go so high. So if you’re already in shape, you can’t go any further. Physically, it’s impossible. The only thing you’re going to get is diminishing returns. … If I spend all day sparring, drilling, all that stuff and then I go and f*cking kill my body in the garage and then I go and do this, you’re just breaking your body down.
“By the time you get to the fight, your body has been through hell for eight to 10 weeks. That used to be the norm back in the day, but now in 2026, there’s way too much science. We’ve seen that less is more and more is less, and I think that’s one thing I saw when I was there and I would watch him train. I love when I see people work hard, but sometimes working too f*cking hard doesn’t pay off, as well. You’re better off taking two days off and just chilling and relaxing.”
The likes of Joe Rogan attributed Chimaev slowing down to his big weight cut. Rogan theorized that Chimaev was bulking up for a move to light heavyweight, but after Strickland finished Anthony Hernandez in February, he decided to defend his middleweight title instead.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Demetrious Johnson: Khamzat Chimaev trained too hard for UFC 328
