What really happened to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328? That's the question on everyone's lips—including his own teammates—after the former Middleweight champion suffered the first defeat of his professional career in a razor-thin split decision against Sean Strickland.

The five-round war at Prudential Center in Newark has sparked one of the year's most heated debates. Did Chimaev's heavier shots and wrestling control earn him the win? Or did Strickland's relentless volume and late-round surge steal the fight? The MMA world remains split.

For UFC Light Heavyweight contender Khalil Rountree, who shared the training room with Chimaev during camp, the performance was almost unrecognizable. "It was really hard to watch because I wasn't watching the Khamzat I know," Rountree admitted on the JAXXON Podcast. "I was so shocked—like, 'What's wrong with Khamzat?'" He confessed he couldn't even analyze the rounds properly, too emotionally invested in his teammate's corner.

Rountree still scored the fight for Chimaev. "Round one was great, round two took a huge turn. I gave round three to Khamzat—I'm biased. Round four I had him up three rounds going into five, then round five I blurred. I think he did enough to win rounds 1, 3, and 4. If a rematch happens, things look completely different."

Former UFC Middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, who also trained with Chimaev and makes no secret of his dislike for Strickland, echoed the sentiment. "Maybe that's why he won," Rockhold said, referencing Strickland's massive underdog status. "I think Khamzat won the fourth and fifth rounds. He controlled the pace of how that fight finished."

For a fighter who stormed into the UFC with an aura of invincibility, this loss raises serious questions about what went wrong—and what a rematch could look like when both men are at their best.