UFC 328 Media Day Set the Stage for Strickland–Chimaev
Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland spoke to reporters during UFC 328 fight week in Newark before their middleweight title bout on May 9, 2026. The pre-fight interviews captured tension between the champion and challenger ahead of the main event.
Separate interviews during a tense week
The UFC arranged media appearances before the fighters met in the Octagon. Chimaev was defending the championship for the first time, while Strickland was returning to a title fight after a February win over Anthony Hernandez.
Their comments ranged from tactical predictions to personal exchanges. Security was heightened during the week, and the fighters remained apart for much of the media schedule.
The embedded footage is a record of those pre-fight appearances, not evidence of the bout itself. The championship fight was scheduled for five rounds at Prudential Center.
The outcome came three days later
On May 9, the two fighters completed all five rounds. Strickland won by split decision, with two judges scoring 48–47 for him and the third scoring 48–47 for Chimaev.
The result returned the UFC middleweight championship to Strickland and gave Chimaev his first professional loss. The split verdict followed a fight that shifted between grappling control and striking exchanges.
UFC’s official event and scorecard pages verify the date and result. Fight-week coverage from the promotion documents the buildup, keeping the interviews separate from the later contest.
