For those who were concerned heading into UFC 328 that things could get ugly before Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland got to the Octagon on Saturday night, they were proven correct on Thursday.
One of the biggest events of the year is set to go down this weekend in Newark when Chimaev and Strickland battle it out for the middleweight title in the main event.
But Thursday’s press conference delivered on lofty expectations for insanity as the two hurled insults at each other for 30 minutes before it all culminated in a heated face off where Chimaev actually kicked Strickland, leading to the two immediately being pulled off stage by security and law enforcement.
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On Friday, UFC didn’t even allow for the whiff of shenanigans between the two. Typically the final face off between the fighters takes place, but as soon as Chimaev hit the stage and jumped off the scale, he was ushered back by multiple security guards who would not let him get within 10 feet of Strickland as the American continued to hurl insults over the microphone.
Be sure to keep up with all the action on Saturday with our live coverage of UFC 328, including round-by-round scoring and updated fight results throughout the night!
The rest of the undercard is sure to feature plenty of great action inside the Prudential Center. The fight of most note sees Joshua Van look to make the first defense of his flyweight title when he takes on Tatsuro Taira in the co-main event. Van won the title in December when champion Alexandre Pantoja suffered a brutal elbow injury moments into their fight, which resulted in a TKO win for Van. Now, Van can prove any doubters wrong with a win over Taira, who enters with an 8-1 record in UFC at just 26 years old.
Also on Saturday night, heavyweights Alexander Volkov and Waldo Cortes-Acosta square off in a pivotal matchups for the division. Veteran welterweights Sean Brady and Joaquin Buckley face off and two of the longest tenured fighters in the sport meet to open the main card when King Green battles Jeremy Stephens.
Below is the complete fight card for UFC 328, along with the latest odds. Check back all week long for the latest news, features, and other content around this massive event.
UFC 328 fight card, odds, results
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook (Odds as of May 9)
- Khamzat Chimaev (c) -500 vs. Sean Strickland +380, middleweight title
- Tatsuro Taira -162 vs. Joshua Van (c) +136, flyweight title
- Alexander Volkov -130 vs. Waldo Cortes Acosta +110, heavyweights
- Sean Brady -180 vs. Joaquin Buckley +150, welterweights
- King Green def. Jeremy Stephens via first-round submission (rear naked choke)
- Ateba Gautier def. Ozzy Diaz via second-round knockout (punches)
- Yaroslav Amosov def. Joel Alvarez via second-round submission (head and arm choke)
- Grant Dawson def. Mateusz Rebecki via third-round submission (rear naked choke)
- Jim Miller def. Jared Gordon via first-round submission (guillotine choke)
- Roman Kopylov def. Marco Tulio via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Pat Sabatini def. William Gomis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Baisangur Susurkaev def. Djorden Santos via third-round submission (rear naked choke)
- Jose Ochoa def. Clayton Carpenter via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
UFC 328 info
- Date: May 9
- Location: Prudential Center — Newark, New Jersey
- Start time: 9 p.m. (Main card) | 7 p.m. (prelims) | 5 p.m. (early prelims)
- Stream: Paramount+ (subscribe now for as low as $8.99 per month)
UFC 328 countdown
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