Sean Strickland Wins UFC Middleweight Belt

May 10, 2026, 22:50
JapanSports

Introduction

On May 9, 2026, Sean Strickland fought Khamzat Chimaev in New Jersey. Strickland won the fight and took back the middleweight title. Joshua Van also won his fight.

Main Body

Strickland and Chimaev said mean things before the fight. But they were nice to each other in the cage. Chimaev was strong in the first round. Then he became very tired because he lost too much weight. Strickland hit Chimaev many times. He stopped Chimaev from taking him down. Two judges said Strickland won the fight. Joshua Van also fought Tatsuro Taira. Van hit Taira and won the fight in the fifth round. The UFC also put Chris Weidman into the Hall of Fame. Chimaev lost for the first time. He wants to fight in a heavier weight class now. Strickland may fight Nassourdine Imavov next in the USA.

Conclusion

Sean Strickland is the champion. Khamzat Chimaev will move to a new weight class. Joshua Van is still the flyweight champion.

Learning

⚡ THE 'PAST' SWITCH

Look at how the story talks about things that already happened. We change the word to show the time is gone.

The Rule: Add -ed to the end of the action.

  • Fight → Fighted (Wait! This one is special: Fought)
  • Stop → Stopped
  • Want → Wanted

Spot the Pattern in the Text:

  1. "Strickland won the fight" (Win → Won)
  2. "He stopped Chimaev" (Stop → Stopped)
  3. "Van hit Taira" (Hit → Hit)

💡 Pro Tip for A2: Some words are "lazy" and don't change (Hit ext→ ext{→} Hit). Some words are "rebels" and change completely (Win ext→ ext{→} Won). Most words just take the -ed tail!

🛠️ BUILDING SENTENCES

To describe a person's state, use was or became.

  • Was ext→ ext{→} Used for a feeling or a fact. (Chimaev was strong)
  • Became ext→ ext{→} Used when something changes. (He became very tired)

Quick Map: Strong ext→ ext{→} Tired ext→ ext{→} Lost

Vocabulary Learning

fight (n.)
an event where two people try to beat each other
Example:They had a fight at school.
win (v.)
to succeed in a competition
Example:She will win the game.
lose (v.)
to fail to win
Example:He will lose if he doesn't practice.
weight (n.)
the measure of how heavy something is
Example:She lifted a heavy weight.
class (n.)
a group of people or things that are similar
Example:She is in the math class.
champion (n.)
a person who wins a competition
Example:He is the champion of the tournament.
strong (adj.)
having a lot of power
Example:He is strong.
tired (adj.)
feeling exhausted
Example:After the game, she was tired.