The most explosive fight week of 2026 is underway. There’s a lot of bad blood between UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland. It’s real enough that UFC will recruit extra security to keep the peace before UFC 328.
Chimaev and Strickland have hurled many insults ahead of their main event title fight in Newark, New Jersey. Your mileage will vary on the subject matter, but there’s nothing fabricated about the beef. The rivals have also trained together in the past, with both claiming to get the better of the other behind closed doors.
Chimaev’s supremacy is like few things in MMA. The combined significant strike tally in his first four UFC fights was 148-1. He’s defeated UFC champions in his last three fights, mostly in dominant fashion. He caved in Robert Whittaker’s front teeth with a face crank before coasting by Dricus du Plessis. On Saturday, he makes his first title defense.
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Strickland is no stranger to surprises. He closed at approximately +540 against Israel Adesanya, worse than his present chances of beating Chimaev. Strickland upset Adesanya, knocking him down and taking the middleweight title from him. Before UFC 328, Strickland once again cashed as an underdog against Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez.
Also on Saturday night, the men’s flyweight title is on the line when champion Joshua Van takes on rising contender Tatsuro Taira. Van became the second-youngest champion in promotional history last year when he earned a TKO of Alexandre Pantoja after Pantoja suffered a gruesome elbow injury. Now, he’s out to prove that wasn’t a fluke. If Taira is successful, he would become the first UFC champion from Japan.
Elsewhere on the card, heavyweights Alexander Volkov and Waldo Cortes-Acosta are set to throw down as they jockey for postition in the congested title picture. Veterans Sean Brady and Joaquin Buckley face off at welterweight. And two of the most seasoned fighters in UFC history meet when King Green takes on Jeremy Stephens at lightweight.
Below is the complete fight card for UFC 328, along with the newest odds. Check back all week long for the newest news, features, and other content around this massive event.
UFC 328 fight card, odds
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
- Khamzat Chimaev (c) -550 vs. Sean Strickland +410, middleweight title
- Tatsuro Taira -175 vs. Joshua Van (c) +145, flyweight title
- Alexander Volkov -175 vs. Waldo Cortes Acosta +145, heavyweights
- Sean Brady -180 vs. Joaquin Buckley +150, welterweights
- King Green -355 vs. Jeremy Stephens +280, lightweights
- Ateba Gautier -1350 vs. Ozzy Diaz +800, middleweights
- Yaroslav Amosov -185 vs. Joel Alvarez +154, welterweights
- Grant Dawson -175 vs. Mateusz Rebecki +145, lightweights
- Jared Gordon -325 vs. Jim Miller +260, lightweights
- Marco Tulio -192 vs. Roman Kopylov +160, middleweights
- Pat Sabatini -205 vs. William Gomis +170, featherweights
- Baisangur Susurkaev -750 vs. Djorden Santos +525, middleweights
- Jose Ochoa -180 vs. Clayton Carpenter +150, flyweights
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
- Campbell: Taira dismisses Van as being ‘real’ flyweight champion
- Mahjouri: Three undercard fights to watch on Saturday
- Campbell: Five storylines to follow this week in Newark
