The Daniel Cormier Show - DC REACTS to Sean Strickland BEATING Khamzat Chimaev, Joshua Van TKO vs. Taira

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Daniel Cormier Reacts to UFC 328

Episode: The Daniel Cormier Show - DC REACTS to Sean Strickland BEATING Khamzat Chimaev, Joshua Van TKO vs. Taira
Date: May 10, 2026

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Overview

This episode features Daniel Cormier’s live, Octagon-side breakdown of UFC 328’s two major upsets: Sean Strickland’s surprise victory over Khamzat Chimaev for the UFC Middleweight world title, and Joshua Van’s first title defense against Tatsuro Taira in the flyweight division. Cormier analyzes the fights, strategies, and what the results mean for the fighters’ future paths. He also gives quick recaps on other standout bouts from the card and honors Joshua Van with his ‘Performance of the Night’ award.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Sean Strickland Stuns Khamzat Chimaev for Middleweight Title

• Strickland was a huge underdog: Chimaev entered as a -465 favorite due to his dominant Octagon performances and Strickland’s perceived inconsistencies.
• Fight breakdown:
  • Round 1: Strickland is taken down by Chimaev.
  • Round 2: Strickland scores his own takedown.
  • Round 3: Dominates with his jab, controls the fight tempo. Cormier notes Strickland could've pressed harder as Chimaev looked fatigued.
  • Rounds 4 & 5: Chimaev regains aggression but Strickland’s jab remains the key weapon.
• Judging & scoring: Cormier points out that octagon control isn't a scoring criterion; damage, duration, and dominance matter more. Strickland outstruck Chimaev by 50 overall strikes, even with six minutes in bottom position.
• Cormier’s assessment:
  • “Sean Strickland fought a very, very good fight tonight in order to beat Hamza Chimaev. Honestly, it is a blueprint for if you’re gonna fight Khamzat.” (06:10)
  • He emphasizes Chimaev didn’t perform badly; Strickland simply delivered a superior game plan.
• Context: Cormier recalls Strickland’s prior struggles and speculation about a rift with coach Eric Nixick, making this comeback especially “unexpected and special.”
• What’s Next: Cormier says Chimaev is not done, predicting another title opportunity soon.

Joshua Van Defends Flyweight Title Against Tatsuro Taira

• Van’s championship legitimacy: Validates Van’s climb, noting he won his belt in a “weird way” but can’t be faulted for it.
• Fight dynamics:
  • Round 1: Taira dominates, fighting a perfect round.
  • Round 2: Tight again until Van hurts Taira late.
  • Round 3: Van nearly finishes Taira.
  • Round 4: Taira rallies, somehow wins the round, making it 2-2 for Cormier going into the last round.
  • Round 5: Van finishes Taira with a barrage, though Taira protests the stoppage.
• Cormier on Taira: “He doesn’t lose anything in that performance. I thought he fought really, really well and he should be proud of himself.” (09:15)
• Cormier on Van: Praises Van’s skill and “big power for 125 pounds.” Names Van his ‘Total Wireless Fighter of the Night.’

Other Notable Fights and Performances

• Alexander Volkov vs. Waldo Cortez Acosta: Volkov wins the first two rounds (“I thought he won the fight”), but Cormier does not see it as enough for a title shot.
• Sean Brady vs. Joaquin Buckley: “One of the most dominant decisions I have seen in a really long time.” (10:58) Brady repeatedly took Buckley down, emphatically reestablishing himself as a welterweight contender.
• Bobby Green: Beautiful submission victory over Jeremy Stephens.
• Atiba Gaultier: Another KO, calling for tougher competition.
• Yaroslav Amosov: “It’s time to put some respect on this young man’s name. He needs a tougher opponent.” (11:44)
• Quick mentions: Grant Dawson (win over Rambecki), Jim Miller (another finish, adding to his records), and Kopylov, Sabatini, Sousakaya, Ochoa all picking up wins.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Strickland’s blueprint:
  "Sean Strickland fought a very, very good fight tonight in order to beat Hamza Chimaev. Honestly, it is a blueprint for if you’re gonna fight Khamzat.”
  — Daniel Cormier (06:10)

• On underestimating Strickland:
  "You thought Sean Strickland was done, but he was far from done. ... Tonight, he beat the great Hamza Chimaev to become the UFC Middleweight World Champion. It is truly, truly unexpected.”
  — Daniel Cormier (07:04)

• On Joshua Van’s toughness:
  "He fought with a lot of heart. He fought with tremendous skill as he always does, and he showed that he can operate in a good fight where he’s clean and he can also operate in a dirty fight.”
  — Daniel Cormier (08:35)

• On Taira’s resilience:
  "Not only is Tyra not out of there, Tyra wins the next round, somehow wins the next round.”
  — Daniel Cormier (08:57)

• Amosov’s rise:
  "Hey, yo. Amasov is the real deal. It’s time to put some respect on this young man’s name.”
  — Daniel Cormier (11:44)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:58 — UFC 328 main event recap and Strickland’s win over Chimaev
• 07:04 — Context on Strickland’s comeback and coach relationship
• 08:35 — Joshua Van vs. Taira co-main event analysis
• 10:04 — Recap of Volkov, Brady, Green, Gaultier, Amosov, and other undercard performances
• 12:46 — Daniel Cormier’s 'Total Wireless Performance of the Night' award to Joshua Van

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Summary

Daniel Cormier delivers a passionate and insightful breakdown of UFC 328, celebrating Sean Strickland’s gritty upset over Khamzat Chimaev and Joshua Van’s wild, hard-earned finish over Tatsuro Taira. With tactical analysis and personal anecdotes, Cormier highlights how both champions overcame adversity, delivered for fans, and set up intriguing futures in their respective divisions. The card, filled with memorable performances and dramatic comebacks, earns Cormier’s enthusiastic seal of approval, with Joshua Van walking away as his ‘Fighter of the Night.’

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Transcript

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[UFC Commentator]

All right guys, UFC328 just wrapped from Newark and Sean Strickland is the new UFC Middleweight champion. In this post fight reaction video live from Octagon side. The only one that you get when I say Octagon side, it's like literally right here is brought to you by Total Wireless, the official wireless provider of UFC. They're in your corner with unlimited 5G data that will not slow you down. Now that is a total power move, guys. You know what else is a power move? That main event and co main event and UFC 328 as a whole. Honestly, because this fight card was amazing, but obviously the night belongs to the new champion. Sean Strickland goes in there against the unbeatable Khamzat Chimaev and he gets the job done. Khamzat was a minus 465 favorite going into this fight and the only reason he was a 5 to 1 favorite was because of what people had seen him do inside of the Octagon and also with people that seen from Sean Strickland. We had seen Sean struggle at times, which I will get to. But tonight you didn't get that. You got a Sean Strickland that got taken down in round one. Round two, scored his own takedowns. Round three, controlled the fight with a jab. Honestly, I thought Strickland made a mistake in round three by not really pressing on the gas, because I felt like Khamzat had a bit of a adrenaline dump. And if he really pressed him, he really could have made Khamzat struggle down the stretch, but he didn't. But he wins round three. Round four, Khamzat comes back, and he fights like Khamzat. You know, I thought Strickland's jab was probably the most effective punch of the entire fight. The way he was able to control the fight with that jab showed you that how good Sean Strickland is. The right hand seemed to be available, but he never threw it. Round three, four, and five, Khamzat. Chimaev really got on the gas and started backing up Sean Strickland. But if, you know, scoring octagon control is no longer a scoring criteria when judging fights. It's damage, duration, and domination. You know, dominance. Sorry. Khamzat showed control when he got him down, but Even with the six minutes of top time, Sean still outlanded him by 50 strikes and a whole bunch of significant strikes. So Sean Strickland fought a very, very good fight tonight in order to beat Hamza Chimaev. And honestly, it is a blueprint for if you're gonna fight Khamzat. The deal is this, though. Hamdat Chimaev didn't fight bad. He did not fight bad. Sean Strickland just fought better. You know, that's why you can't pick mma. It's crazy into think a few fights ago, you thought that the Sean Strickland deal was done, right? Watching him look dejected against Dreckers du Plessis, not listening to the coaches, wondering aloud if him and his longtime coach, Eric Nixik, were going to split and separate because they seem so unaligned. Eric was telling him what to do. He wouldn't listen. You thought Sean Strickland was done, but he was far from done. He goes back and gets a couple victories now, beating Nasser Dina Mavov. He's beaten Fluffy Hernandez, and tonight he beat the great Hamza Chimaev to become the UFC Middleweight World Champion. It is truly, truly unexpected for me, but it is a special thing for Sean Strickland, his family, and his entire team. Chimaev will be back. Chimaev will be back. I don't think for one second that it's over for Chimaev. Honestly, Chimaev may be back right next for another championship opportunity against Sean Strickland. 40 UFC middleweight championship. I know Nasser Dina Mahba fans will like that, but I think that may be true. In the co main event, Joshua Van solidified himself as the UFC flyweight champion. You know, he won that belt in a weird way. I will tell you this though. He caught the kick, threw him to the mat, and that's how Pantoja hurt himself. You can't fault him for the way he became champion, but you can't credit him for the way that he defended that title for the very first time. He fought with a lot of heart. He fought with tremendous skill as he always does, and he showed that he can operate in a good fight where he's clean and he can also operate in a dirty fight. We've seen it in the Roy Val fight and today we saw it with Tatsuru Taira. We have had a lot of great fights in the flyweight division that will go into the hall of Fame at some point. The fight tonight is going to be another one of those that does. And you don't get an all time great fight unless you have a great dance partner. And that was Tatsuro Taira. That first round, Tyra fought the perfect round. Second round is fighting pretty good again. Van hurts him at the end of the round. Third round, Van almost kills him. He hurts him so many times that you think it's only a matter of time before Tyra's out of there. Not only is Tyra not out of there, Tyra wins the next round, somehow wins the next round. You go into round five and it's two to two. At least on my scorecards. It's two to two going into round number five. I get to thinking to myself, tatsuru Tyro wins this round. We could have a draw because round three felt like a 10, eight round. Ultimately that didn't matter. Joshua Van gets to finish. Tyro was mad about the finish. I don't think he should be upset about it. I know he would have fought more, but I don't think it was necessary. I think he had taken enough damage and and the fight was over. And honestly, he doesn't lose anything in that performance. I thought he fought really, really well and he should be proud of himself. But hats off to Josh Van, man, that dude is a beast and he's got big power for 125 pounds. He's the real deal. Alexander Volkov beat Waldo Cortez Acosta. I thought he won the fight. He won the first two rounds. I know they were close, but he won the first two rounds. I still don't think that that fight, though, earns him a championship opportunity. You got to do more. And a lot of Volkov's fights look just like that. Sean Brady beat Joaquin Buckley by decision, but it was one of the most dominant decisions I have seen in a really long time. Guys, we have seen Joaquin Buckley lose before. We have never seen Joaquin Buckley dominated in the way that he was dominated tonight by Sean Brady. I mean, he got nothing done. Every time he kicked, Shawn Brady took him down over and over and over again. It was, it was an amazing performance from Brady. And to think many people thought that there would be some residuals from losing the last fight in the way that he did. But I think when you win like he won tonight, Shawn Brady is as dangerous and as real a contender as we have in the welterweight division. He puts himself right back amongst the elite. Bobby Green with a beautiful submission over Jeremy Stephens. Atiba Gaultier knocked out Ozzie Diaz once again. Atiba Gaultier doing what a Tebogo Gaultier does. Hey, yo. Amasov is the real deal. It's time to put some respect on this young man's name. He needs a tougher opponent. He's fought Neil Magni, he's fought Joel Alvarez. But for a guy that's now 31, he should be fighting guys in the inside of the top 10 and work his way towards a championship opportunity. Grant Dawson with a big victory tonight over Matthias Rambecki. Jim Miller gets another finish tonight. That was awesome. I was happy for Jim to go out there and do what he's done on so many different occasions. Add to another record that Jim Miller has. Roma Kopylov beat Marco Tullio, Pat Sabatini beat William Gomez, Sousakaya beat Jorgen Santos, and Jose Ochoa beat Clayton Carpenter. UFC 328 was amazing. Guys. I give New Jersey a hard time, but I'm just around. It's a beautiful state. The Garden State is beautiful. Great golf. I really enjoy my time here, but I will continue to give New Jersey a hard time. Now, my total wireless performance of the night, guys, that goes to Joshua Van. You know, there's no question now whether or not Joshua Van has the skill set to defend takedown, stay upright and defend the hard nosed grappler. We saw that tonight. It makes the Pantoja fight even bigger. And that was a big fight already. So hats off to Joshua Van for being my total wireless fighter of the night. Big night though, guys. Strickland's a champion. Van retains. Unbelievable. From New New Jersey, Brick City. What a great night. Till next time, guys. Like subscribe. Tell your friend to tell their friends. I got a YouTube channel. I'm doing stuff like this. Peace.

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