UFC 328: Chimaev vs. Strickland – Complete Fight Card, Odds, Weigh-In Results, and Bad Blood in Newark

The Octagon returns to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, for a historic and highly volatile night of mixed martial arts action. Scheduled for Saturday, May 9, 2026, UFC 328 brings two explosive world championship bouts, a slew of pivotal contender matchups, and a dramatic build-up that has captured the attention of the entire combat sports world. The 18,711-seat arena is primed for an unforgettable event that will be broadcast live exclusively on Paramount+, with the main card kicking off at 9 p.m. ET.

At the top of the marquee, undisputed UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev looks to make his first title defense against former champion and bitter rival Sean Strickland. In the co-main event, freshly crowned flyweight king Joshua Van will defend his belt against the surging Japanese star Tatsuro Taira. From top to bottom, the card is stacked with UFC veterans, rising stars, and high-stakes positional battles.

The Main Event: Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland

The main event of UFC 328 features a fascinating clash of styles, personalities, and martial arts philosophies. Defending middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev will lock horns with the number three-ranked contender, Sean Strickland.

Chimaev, 32, carries a flawless 15-0 professional record into the Octagon. The first Chechen-born fighter to win a UFC championship, Chimaev claimed the undisputed middleweight title last August at UFC 319 by dominating Dricus du Plessis en route to a unanimous decision victory. “Borz” has been a destructive force since entering the promotion, securing six wins by knockout, six by submission, and three by decision. He is a six-time Performance of the Night winner, a one-time Fight of the Night recipient, and previously took home the 2020 Newcomer of the Year and 2024 President’s Choice Fight of the Year awards.

Statistically, Chimaev is a historic anomaly. He holds several UFC records, including the most total strikes landed in a single UFC fight with 529, the most total ground strikes landed in a fight with 517, and the most total head strikes landed with 411. He also possesses the second-most total strikes attempted in a UFC fight at 567. Standing at 1.88 meters (about 6-foot-2) with a 1.91-meter reach, Chimaev utilizes a ferocious wrestling and MMA-based style that suffocates opponents.

On the other side of the cage stands 35-year-old Sean Strickland, a veteran of the sport with a professional mark of 30-7. The former UFC middleweight champion earned this title shot following a brilliant TKO victory over Anthony Hernandez at a UFC Fight Night event in February. Strickland is a volume-striking machine who relies heavily on his boxing and forward pressure. He holds the record for the most significant strikes landed in UFC middleweight division history with 1,575, and the second-most significant strikes landed in all of UFC history with an astounding 2,307.

Strickland stands at 1.85 meters (about 6-foot-1) but possesses a slightly longer 1.93-meter reach compared to the champion. Known for his unbreakable cardio and unique defensive guard, Strickland has recorded 12 wins by knockout, four by submission, and 14 by decision. The architect of the 2024 Upset of the Year against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293, Strickland knows what it takes to dethrone a seemingly invincible champion.

At Friday morning’s official weigh-ins, both fighters successfully hit the middleweight championship limit. Strickland was the first to step onto the scale, weighing in at a crisp 185 pounds. Chimaev, taking his time, was the final fighter to weigh in, stepping on the scale with just twenty minutes remaining in the window to also register exactly 185 pounds, cementing the main event.

Boiling Point: Press Conference Chaos and Death Threats

The lead-up to UFC 328 has been marred by intense bad blood and violent trash talk. The rivalry between former training partners Chimaev and Strickland has deteriorated into absolute hatred, turning this championship bout into one of the most volatile grudge matches the sport has seen in years.

The animosity reached a fever pitch earlier in the week when Strickland allegedly threatened to shoot the UFC champion and his team if they approached him outside of the cage. Recognizing the legitimate danger of the situation, UFC officials deployed drastically increased security details for all fight week activities, including the pre-fight press conference, weigh-ins, and final faceoffs.

Despite the heavy security presence, Thursday’s press conference descended into chaos. After 30 minutes of hurling vicious insults at one another—including jabs about religion and cheap shots regarding childhood trauma—the two fighters met for a staredown. The tension snapped when Chimaev suddenly kicked Strickland below the belt, nearly inciting an all-out brawl on stage. Security and law enforcement swarmed immediately, pulling the two men apart and dragging them off the stage to cool down before Saturday night.

UFC CEO Dana White, however, seemed unfazed by the madness. When asked by TMZ if the escalating violence and threats concerned him, White was blunt. “It doesn’t scare me,” White said. “It’s been a minute since I’ve had a fight that’s had this much heat on it. Ya know, it’s exciting.”

Co-Main Event: A New Era at Flyweight

The UFC 328 co-main event shines a spotlight on the 125-pound division, as newly minted flyweight king Joshua Van looks to secure his first title defense against Japanese sensation Tatsuro Taira.

Joshua Van (16-2) captured the gold under bizarre and shocking circumstances last December at UFC 323. Fighting Alexandre Pantoja for the title, Van was awarded the TKO victory just minutes into the first round after Pantoja suffered a brutal injury. As the second-youngest champion in UFC history, the fighter from Myanmar enters Saturday with a massive chip on his shoulder, eager to silence critics and prove he is no paper champion. Van confidently weighed in at 125 pounds on Friday morning.

Challenging him is the undefeated 26-year-old Tatsuro Taira (18-1). Ranked as the number three contender, Taira secured his shot at UFC gold by dispatching former champion Brandon Moreno via second-round TKO earlier this year. With a victory, Taira would make history as the first Japanese champion in UFC history. Taira was the second fighter to step on the scale on Friday, hitting the 125-pound championship mark perfectly.

The Main Card: Heavyweight Collisions and Weigh-In Misses

Beyond the two title fights, the UFC 328 main card features pivotal matchups across multiple weight classes.

In a crucial heavyweight contest, the number two-ranked Alexander Volkov (39-11) faces the number four-ranked Waldo Cortes-Acosta (17-2). The 257-pound Volkov has won five of his last six fights, with his only blemish being a highly controversial split-decision loss to Ciryl Gane in December 2024. He looks to fend off the surging 264-pound Cortes-Acosta, who rides a three-fight knockout streak into Newark.

At welterweight, the stakes are equally high as number six-ranked Sean Brady (18-2) takes on the explosive number nine-ranked Joaquin Buckley (21-7). Both men tipped the scales at 170 pounds. Buckley enters the bout with immense confidence, recently stating his belief that he could beat current pound-for-pound great Islam Makhachev. Brady, a grappling specialist, will test Buckley’s wrestling defense and title aspirations.

The main card is rounded out by a lightweight clash between fan-favorite King Green and 35-fight UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens. Unfortunately, the bout was marred by a significant weigh-in failure on Friday morning. Stephens arrived at the scale weighing 160 pounds—a massive four pounds over the lightweight non-title limit. As a result, Stephens will forfeit 30% of his fight purse to Green. Stephens, currently in his second stint with the UFC, is looking to bounce back from a recent unanimous decision loss to Mason Jones.

Preliminary Card: Veterans and Title Hopefuls

The undercard for UFC 328 is packed with compelling storylines, beginning at 5 p.m. ET on Paramount+.

Highlighting the prelims is the legendary Jim Miller, who will be making his jaw-dropping 47th walk to the UFC Octagon. The 41-year-old lightweight veteran, whose career is defined by ironclad endurance and a willingness to take short-notice fights, takes on 31-year-old Jared Gordon. Both men successfully made weight. Gordon has fought predominantly on the back foot in his recent outings, making Miller a strong candidate to secure a clean decision victory and add yet another win to his historic resume.

In a lightweight matchup with direct top-15 implications, Grant Dawson faces Mateusz Rebecki. Dawson utilizes a suffocating, aggressive wrestling style that allows him to control the center of the Octagon. He will need to rely heavily on that grappling to avoid the terrifying knockout power of Rebecki. The winner of this bout is widely expected to secure a spot on major main cards in the second half of the year.

The preliminary card also features a fascinating welterweight bout between former Bellator champion Yaroslav Amosov and the lethal Joel Alvarez. Amosov made an immediate splash in his UFC debut by submitting Neil Magny in the first round. He will face a stern test in Alvarez, who is riding a terrifying six-fight winning streak, with every single victory coming by way of a finish. Alvarez must keep the fight standing to mitigate Amosov’s elite grappling threat.

Other notable preliminary bouts include an explosive middleweight prospect clash between Ateba Gautier and Ozzy Diaz, a featherweight striker-versus-grappler matchup between Pat Sabatini and William Gomis, and a middleweight scrap between Roman Kopylov and Marco Tulio.

Betting Odds and Expert Predictions

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Khamzat Chimaev is a massive betting favorite heading into his title defense. Chimaev is currently listed between -520 and -575, meaning bettors would need to risk $520 to win $100. Sean Strickland enters as a live underdog, priced between +390 and +425. The over/under for total rounds is set at 2.5, indicating oddsmakers expect a finish in the fight.

In the co-main event, Tatsuro Taira is slightly favored to dethrone the champion at -155 to -162, while Joshua Van sits as the underdog at +130 to +136.

Elite MMA analyst Kyle Marley, who has returned over $21,000 for $100 bettors since 2018, shared some exclusive picks for the card. For the preliminary featherweight bout between Pat Sabatini and William Gomis, Marley is heavily backing Sabatini (-166 to -205) to win via submission.

“This is a striker vs. grappler matchup with Gomis needing to keep it on the feet,” Marley told SportsLine. “Sabatini should be closing the distance any time it’s on the feet, and he should dominate the fight once on the mat. I’ll take Sabatini by sub.”

Full UFC 328 Fight Card and Official Weights

Main Card (Paramount+, 9 p.m. ET)

• Middleweight Championship: Khamzat Chimaev (185) vs. Sean Strickland (185)
• Flyweight Championship: Joshua Van (125) vs. Tatsuro Taira (125)
• Heavyweight: Alexander Volkov (257) vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta (264)
• Welterweight: Sean Brady (170) vs. Joaquin Buckley (170)
• Lightweight: King Green (155) vs. Jeremy Stephens (160)*(Stephens missed weight by 4 lbs, fined 30% of purse)

Preliminary Card (Paramount+, 7 p.m. ET)

• Middleweight: Ateba Gautier (185) vs. Ozzy Diaz (186)
• Welterweight: Joel Alvarez (170) vs. Yaroslav Amosov (170)
• Lightweight: Grant Dawson (156) vs. Mateusz Rebecki (156)
• Lightweight: Jim Miller (155) vs. Jared Gordon (156)

Early Preliminary Card (Paramount+, 5 p.m. ET)

• Middleweight: Roman Kopylov (185) vs. Marco Tulio (186)
• Featherweight: Pat Sabatini (145) vs. William Gomis (145)
• Middleweight: Baisangur Susurkaev (186) vs. Djorden Santos (186)
• Flyweight: Clayton Carpenter (126) vs. Jose Ochoa (125)

As the fighters put the final touches on their weight cuts and game plans, all eyes are on Newark for what promises to be one of the most memorable nights in UFC history. Whether it’s the bad blood in the main event or history being made at 125 pounds, UFC 328 is an absolute must-watch spectacle.