The bad blood didn’t quite boil over in the main event of UFC 328, where Sean Strickland pulled off yet another massive upset in a title fight. Strickland defeated Khamzat Chimaev by split decision to become a two-time middleweight champion after a vitriolic build to a fight that underwhelmed.
Up to that point, UFC 328 was an extremely average night of fights. Outside of the thrilling men’s flyweight championship fight between Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira, the UFC’s annual trek to Newark, New Jersey, was neither terrible nor great.
Although there weren’t many must-see moments, the card didn’t have any fights that were outright unwatchable.
After every UFC numbered event, ESPN assesses the quality of each fight and the overall card, giving letter grades based on skill displayed, competitiveness and what was at stake.
Men’s flyweight championship: Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira
Result: Van defeats Taira by fifth-round TKO
Grade: A
The men’s flyweight division continues to produce excellent fights, and Van is leading the charge with yet another stellar outing. The champion endured the trappings of a superb grappler and used his striking to retain his title. Taira did everything he could to hold Van down, but Van kept popping up and peppering the challenger with punches. To his credit, Taira absorbed a lot of punishment before folding in Round 5. He even had a strong showing in Round 4, after it looked like Van was about to run away with the fight in the previous frame. This was an excellent showing by both fighters and a scrap you should go out of your way to watch.
Lightweight: King Green vs. Jeremy Stephens
Result: Green defeats Stephens by first-round submission
Grade: B+
Green has always been an entertaining fighter, and this was one of his finest performances to date. He completely steamrolled Stephens and picked up his first submission win in nearly three years. Stephens had nothing for Green, who mowed him down while trash-talking throughout the fight. Aside from an accidental low blow, Green was flawless in striking, securing a takedown, clobbering Stephens with ground-and-pound and finishing the job with a rear-naked choke. He may not win every fight, but King Green will always be fun to watch.
Welterweight: Sean Brady vs. Joaquin Buckley
Result: Brady defeats Buckley by unanimous decision
Grade: B
Brady absolutely dominated, but Buckley’s lack of resistance to the grappling clinic his opponent provided affected the fight’s overall grade. Brady outlanded Buckley 244-21 in total strikes while commanding over 12 minutes of control time. Some might find it boring that Brady was this dominant against a ranked opponent without going for the finish, but there’s no denying his grappling brilliance against a heavy-handed Buckley, who is known for devastating finishes. Brady showed that there are levels to this, and it’s the kind of debilitating loss that will make Buckley question his place in the division.
Featherweight: Jim Miller vs. Jared Gordon
Jim Miller’s guillotine choke victory against Jared Gordon was his 22nd career win by submission. Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLCResult: Miller defeats Gordon by first-round submission
Grade: BThe old dog still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. Miller, 42, collected his 28th win at lightweight with a slick submission of Gordon. Miller added to his UFC lightweight record for finishes with his 18th. It was a simple setup from Miller that took advantage of an overzealous Gordon. Gordon caught a leg kick and left his neck open for the taking. Miller, who hasn’t won a decision since November 2016, slapped on a guillotine choke and refused to let go until Gordon tapped out. Miller’s ability to finish fights this deep in his career is astounding.Welterweight: Joel Álvarez vs. Yaroslav Amosov
Result: Amosov defeats Alvarez by second-round submission
Grade: B
The way Amosov neutralized Alvarez’s offense with his grappling and finished him with a slam and arm triangle was a major statement to the rest of the 170-pound division. While it likely won’t make any highlight reels, this is a performance that will be revisited when the former Bellator MMA welterweight champion surges up the UFC rankings.
Middleweight: Ateba Gautier vs. Ozzy Diaz
Result: Gautier defeats Diaz by second-round TKO
Grade: B
Gautier is a scary man. This performance was a demonstration of patience, as the Cameroonian realized that taking a more measured approach is oftentimes better than trying to burn through an opponent in the opening minute. Against Diaz, he fended off takedowns, worked in his offense and eventually broke through with a devastating right hand that crumbled his opponent. If you’re looking to see the development of a diamond in the rough, this fight is for you.
Middleweight: Roman Kopylov vs. Marco Tulio
Result: Kopylov defeats Tulio by unanimous decision
Grade: B-
This was a tale of two fights. For the first 7 minutes, Tulio outpointed Kopylov in a tame striking affair. Then the Russian roared back with knockdowns in Rounds 2 and 3, doing just enough to squeeze out the victory. The knockdowns were crucial, as they caught Tulio being lackadaisical with his defense. Tulio attempted to overwhelm an exhausted Kopylov with a late surge, but it was too little, too late.
Middleweight: Baisangur Susurkaev vs. Djorden Santos:
Baisangur Susurkaev beat Djorden Santos by third-round submission at UFC 328. Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLCResult: Susurkaev defeats Santos by third-round submission
Grade: C+Although he’s undefeated, Susurkaev’s fighting style is an acquired taste. It always feels like he’s playing a little too much while leaving his opponents opportunities to survive. Still, he’s skilled enough to take out the opposition, and he did just that against a game Santos, who gave him trouble in the middle of the fight. While still playful, Susurkaev didn’t let Santos off the hook. He picked Santos apart before frantically searching for the finish in the final round, securing a rear-naked choke late in Round 3. There’s no doubt Susurkaev is good, but how long before his carefree style catches up with him?Heavyweight: Alexander Volkov vs. Waldo Cortes Acosta
Result: Volkov def. Acosta by unanimous decision
Grade: C+
Volkov may have won the fight, but Cortes Acosta won over the fans in this clash of heavyweights. Statistically, Volkov had the edge, plucking and prodding his way to victory in an underwhelming affair. Cortes Acosta didn’t land as much, but his theatrics and attempts to bring the fight to Volkov late did won over the fans. Ultimately, the fight wasn’t terrible, but it didn’t feel like the right man won, even if the stats say otherwise.
Lightweight: Grant Dawson vs. Mateusz Rębecki
Result: Dawson defeats Rębecki by third-round submission
Grade: C+
This was an odd fight that sounds better than it actually was. Dawson controlled the first round, survived being knocked down and beaten up in Round 2, then navigated his way to a rear-naked choke to win with just seconds left in the fight. However, the action dragged and drew jeers from the crowd. Dawson did pull off an impressive comeback, but in totality, it wasn’t the most entertaining fight.
Middleweight championship: Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland
Result: Strickland def. Chimaev by split decision
Grade: C
Even with Strickland pulling off an upset to become a two-time champion, this fight was considerably underwhelming and forgettable. The contest lacked drama with Chimaev controlling the opening round before the fight turned into a jab jousting match for the remaining 20 minutes. At best, this was an average fight. At worst, it failed to live up to the high bar set following a contentious buildup. Strickland should be commended for neutralizing Chimaev, but this fight won’t require repeated viewings.
Men’s flyweight: Clayton Carpenter vs. Jose Ochoa
Result: Ochoa defeats Carpenter by unanimous decision
Grade: C
Ochoa imposed his will early and often, pummeling Carpenter with whatever he wanted for 15 minutes. The grade has less to do with Ochoa’s performance and more to do with Carpenter providing little more than resilience. The fight was about as one-sided as it could get and lacked fireworks from an opponent that was simply overmatched.
Featherweight: Pat Sabatini vs. William Gomis
Result: Sabatini defeats Gomis by unanimous decision
Grade: D-
This fight wasn’t fun to watch. It was a clinch-heavy affair for the first couple rounds, as Sabatini controlled Gomis along the cage and landed short strikes that barely registered. Gomis landed the more powerful strikes whenever the two separated, but Sabatini’s 11-plus minutes of control time were enough to navigate to an underwhelming decision.
UFC 328 grade: B-
Aside from the men’s flyweight title fight and the dreadful Sabatini-Gomis bout, UFC 328 was an average night of fights. Nothing immediately jumped off the page, as much of this event won’t be remembered by the end of the year. And that says a lot when there were seven finishes on the card. UFC 328 was a decent, albeit forgettable, event outside of a stellar co-main event.
