Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland came face-to-face for the final time ahead of UFC 328, and their faceoff didn’t disappoint.
UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev and former titleholder Sean Strickland are hours away from squaring off inside the Octagon at UFC 328. But on the final day before fight day, the action nearly got started early in front of a raucous crowd at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-in.
Chimaev will defend his UFC middleweight title for the first time when he faces Strickland on Saturday in Newark. He won the belt by dominantly defeating Dricus du Plessis last year at UFC 319.
Despite two losses to Du Plessis, Strickland earned another middleweight title shot by finishing Anthony Hernandez and stopping the latter’s win streak at UFC Houston. He and Chimaev have traded barbs for months, and chaos nearly ensued at Thursday’s pre-fight press conference.
Ahead of UFC 328, many speculated that the UFC and Dana White could stop Chimaev and Strickland from facing off at the ceremonial weigh-in. Despite previous fears and a high security presence tailing both fighters throughout the week, both middleweights had their moment on stage.
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland faceoff turns testy at UFC 328 weigh-in
Watch Chimaev and Strickland come face-to-face at the UFC 328 ceremonial weigh-in below.
CHIMAEV VS STRICKLAND! #UFC328 is LIVE SATURDAY on @ParamountPlus! pic.twitter.com/nNdGrHBbTq
— UFC (@ufc) May 8, 2026
Chimaev enters UFC 328 as a significant favorite to retain the belt on Saturday night. But some believe Strickland can give Chimaev headaches inside the Octagon, especially due to his strong takedown defense and longevity.
Chimaev and Strickland weren’t the only ones who nearly got into it at the UFC 328 ceremonial weigh-in. Heavyweights Alexander Volkov and Waldo Cortes-Acosta got into a brief shoving match on stage before security intervened.
Follow along here at BJPenn for all the latest from UFC 328.
What is your Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland prediction? Let us know in the comments!