Khamzat Chimaev’s loss appears to be hitting some of his fans far harder than the fighter himself.

On Saturday, Chimaev defended his middleweight title for the first time against former championSean Stricklandin the main event of UFC 328 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, but the night unfolded far differently than he had likely envisioned.

Although “Borz” came out strong with an impressive first round fueled by his trademark grappling-heavy attack, securing an early takedown and controlling Strickland on the ground for nearly the entire round, he struggled to maintain that same intensity as the fight wore on.

Chimaev found himself repeatedly eating stiff lead jabs from Strickland, with the constant pressure forcing him onto the back foot and making him increasingly reluctant to shoot for takedowns. Despite that, the defending champion still had his moments, landing several sharp strikes of his own and making multiple rounds razor close.

BIG MOMENT FOR SEAN STRICKLAND IN ROUND TWO 😱#UFC328pic.twitter.com/s2edOUHcRe

In the end, however, Strickland’s relentless volume and cleaner accuracy swayed the judges, earning him two 48-47 scorecards, while the third judge scored it 48-47 for Chimaev,resulting in a narrow split-decision defeat for “Borz”.

The moment@SStricklandMMAregained the UFC middleweight title at#UFC328! 🏆pic.twitter.com/flst5hrnU6

What was already a heartbreaking night forKhamzat Chimaevand his supporters has seemingly turned even more tragic for two of his Uzbekistani fans.

On Sunday night, several heartbreaking posts surfaced across social media claiming that two men from Uzbekistan had taken out massive loans after apparently selling their cars and even their wives’ jewelry to place huge bets on Khamzat Chimaev staying undefeated atUFC 328.

But after “Borz” lost his middleweight title to Sean Strickland, both men reportedly took their own lives in the tragic aftermath of the event. As of now, no official statement or confirmation from authorities regarding the incident has been released.

Source: LowKickMMA.com