NEWARK, New Jersey, May 7, 2026, 17:03 (ET)
Middleweight champ Khamzat Chimaev and challenger Sean Strickland faced the media together Thursday in Newark, ramping up security concerns ahead of Saturday’s UFC 328 main event. The press conference lineup: Chimaev, Strickland, flyweight titleholder Joshua Van, and Tatsuro Taira. Things kicked off at 5 p.m. ET at the RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House inside Prudential Center.
This is the first big test in public for a fight week that’s already gotten heated outside the cage. According to CBS Sports, Chimaev and Strickland have exchanged a flurry of insults and threats, with UFC officials ready to step in if needed before the referee takes over.
UFC 328 isn’t just about settling old scores. The promotion is advertising two championship fights slated for Saturday at Prudential Center: Chimaev will put his 185-pound middleweight belt on the line against ex-champ Strickland, while Van is set for a flyweight title showdown with Taira.
Bets are stacking up on one side. CBS Sports put Chimaev at -550 on the moneyline, with Strickland way out at +410—so it takes a much bigger wager to make anything on Chimaev, while Strickland’s odds reflect his underdog tag. In the co-main, Taira came in as a -175 favorite over Van.
The matchup boils down to a straightforward question: can Strickland keep Chimaev from taking him down? Takedowns—when a fighter forces the action to the mat—are Chimaev’s bread and butter, according to CBS betting writer Brent Brookhouse, who predicts Chimaev by submission and points to Chimaev’s relentless attempts to get fights to the ground. Strickland, he says, must avoid going to the canvas. On the other hand, ESPN’s expert picks cast the main event as one that may end up in the hands of the judges.
Strickland’s no stranger to the underdog label. CBS points out he entered as about a +540 long shot when he stunned Israel Adesanya and took the middleweight belt—a result that still shapes his reputation and means Chimaev doesn’t get a soft first defense.
The threat’s been anything but theoretical. CBS described a stepped-up police and security detail shadowing the fighters during their media rounds, while MMA Fighting noted that UFC chief Dana White took steps to keep both camps apart—going so far as booking different hotels.
Eric Nicksick, who coaches Strickland, pushed back on the idea of ramping things up before the fight. “They’re not gonna make any money doing it that way,” he told MMA Fighting when the topic of a possible pre-fight brawl came up. Nicksick said Strickland’s team is sticking to “business as usual.” MMA Fighting
Some fighters expect more of a drawn-out, grinding matchup. UFC heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall, for one, calls Chimaev “pretty unstoppable” when it comes to takedowns but isn’t ready to dismiss Strickland’s unorthodox standup—he still thinks it’s a factor. Aspinall’s prediction: “Khamzat by decision.” MMA Weekly
Dricus du Plessis, who’s shared the cage with both fighters, called out the opening round as crucial. “The first round is going to tell us so much,” he told Fight Forecast, per MMA Mania. Du Plessis believes Strickland’s knack for scrambling up could force Chimaev to stand and trade longer than he’d like—or hand Khamzat early control. MMA Mania
That’s the gamble facing both UFC and Chimaev here. Any drama during fight week could hit the event hard before anyone steps into the cage. On the sporting side, the champion’s risk comes if Strickland weathers that early grappling storm, drags things into a slower tempo, and forces the favorite to operate in open space.
The co-main event layers another divisional angle into the mix. Van puts the men’s flyweight title on the line against Taira, who’s chasing history as Japan’s potential first UFC champ. Alexander Volkov meets Waldo Cortes Acosta, and Sean Brady squares off with Joaquin Buckley to round out the main card.
UFC’s focus now: steer Chimaev and Strickland through the press gauntlet, weigh-ins, and onto fight night. Whoever emerges from Newark comes away with the middleweight belt. If Chimaev pulls it off, his unbeaten streak lives on. Strickland, though, could reclaim the title and become a two-time champ for the promotion.
