UFC 328: Hatred between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland among five biggest storylines to follow in Newark

The middleweight title showdown headlines a loaded card this weekend

Brian Campbell

May 4, 2026

8:18 pm ET

•

5 min read

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A pair of world titles will be at stake on Saturday, including one of the hottest feuds in recent memory in the main event, when UFC 328 takes place inside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Unbeaten middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev will make his first title defense against bitter rival and former beltholder Sean Strickland in the headliner. In the co-main event, Joshua Van will make the first defense of his flyweight title against streaking contender Tatsuro Taira.

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As we draw closer to this weekend's event, let's take a look at the biggest storylines surrounding UFC 328.

1. Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland really, really don't like each other

What began as a disagreement inside the Extreme Couture gym in Las Vegas, where Strickland accused the visiting Chimaev of being a bully to his sparring partners, has turned into one of the hottest blood feuds in recent UFC title history. Chimaev will put his 15-0 record and middleweight title at stake in his first fight since absolutely demolishing Dricus du Plessis to win the belt last August. And to suggest that UFC is doing the right move by increasing its security detail ahead of Saturday would be an understatement. The heat here is real -- very real -- and has even escalated to potentially dangerous levels after Strickland, during a media scrum last week amid training camp, threatened he would shoot Chimaev and his team if they confronted him during fight week. The brash Strickland (30-7) has repeatedly called Chimaev a "weak man" and hasn't let a recent interview go by without degrading the native of Russia on just about every topic. UFC is expecting to limit any faceoffs or potential interactions between the two to Friday's ceremonial weigh in. To paraphrase the late WWE Hall of Famer Gorilla Monsoon, the tension hovering above the Octagon this weekend will be so thick, you can cut it with a knife.

2. If Strickland can't slow Chimaev, are there any middleweights who can?

That's the question that has been thrown by fans and critics alike of late given Chimaev's sublime grappling skills and the mean streak in which he inflicts ground and pound. If there was anyone at 185 pounds in the aftermath of Chimaev's title win last year who the general public thought had the ground game and/or motor to match Chimaev, the answers would've been Reiner de Ridder and Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez. But RDR suffered a pair of defeats and has subsequently moved up to light heavyweight. Hernandez, meanwhile, was absolutely dominated in a shocking third-round TKO defeat to Strickland that revived the 35-year-old former champion's title hopes. Strickland has stopped 76% of takedowns over his UFC career and possesses plenty of intangibles like cardio, defense and a willingness to fight in the pocket (despite being a 4-to-1 betting underdog) to potentially give Chimaev issues. Chimaev, who averages more than five takedowns per 15 minutes, is fresh off of dominating du Plessis, the former champion who twice defeated Strickland in title bouts over the last two years. But MMA math is never perfect and Strickland just might have the best skill set and style available to give pulling the upset over such a dominant champion a try.

3. The youth movement at men's flyweight is upon us

While it wasn't the most convincing 125-pound title win last December, when Joshua Van pushed defending champion Alexandre Pantoja to the canvas just 26 seconds into the fight to cause a badly dislocated elbow, the 24-year-old native of Myanmar will tell you himself that the TKO win was the result of something he caused. And the fallout of the victory has sparked an interesting youth movement atop the division. With the 36-year-old Pantoja still recovering from injury, Van (16-2) will make his first title defense on Saturday against 26-year-old Japanese finisher Tatsuro Taira (18-1) in what is expected to be an exciting and fast-paced bout. In recent years, the division has been dominated by veteran champions like Pantoja, Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo. But the quick emergence of both Van and Taira, alongside 26-year-old London native Lone'er Kavanagh, who upset Moreno in February on short notice, have created a bright future at flyweight. And that future appears to very much be right now.

4. Tatsuro Taira is one win away from making Japanese MMA history

For a country like Japan that is so rooted in martial arts lore and widely considered to be one of the birth places of MMA, the fact that the