Facts About UFC 328: Chimaev vs. Strickland ๐Ÿ†


UFC 328: Chimaev vs. Strickland was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 9, 2026, at the Prudential Center, in Newark, New Jersey, United States. The event marked the promotion’s 12th visit to Newark and first since UFC 316 in June 2025.

๐ŸฅŠ Main Event

A UFC Middleweight Championship bout between current champion Khamzat Chimaev and former champion Sean Strickland headlined the event.

๐Ÿฆ… Co-Main Event

A UFC Flyweight Championship bout between champion Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira took place at the co-main event. The pairing was originally scheduled for UFC 327 in April, but one week before that event, Van withdrew due to a minor injury and the bout was shifted to this event.

๐Ÿ”„ Rescheduled Bouts

A middleweight bout between former LFA Middleweight Champion Osman Diaz and Ateba Gautier took place at this event. They were originally scheduled to face each other in October 2025 at UFC 320 but Diaz withdrew due to a medical issue.

A welterweight bout between Sean Brady and Joaquin Buckley was originally slated to headline UFC Fight Night: Sterling vs. Zalal two weeks prior, but it was moved to this card for undisclosed reasons.

โŒ Cancelled & Moved Bouts

A featherweight bout between Daniel Santos and Choi Doo-ho was expected to take place at the event. However, the matchup was moved to UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Costa, which is scheduled to occur one week later.

A light heavyweight rematch between former KSW and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Bล‚achowicz and Bogdan Guskov was scheduled to take place at the event. However, Bล‚achowicz withdrew due to a torn meniscus and the pairing was scrapped.

โš–๏ธ Weigh-In Issue

At the weigh-ins, Jeremy Stephens weighed in at 160 pounds, 4 pounds over the lightweight non-title fight limit. His bout proceeded at catchweight and he was fined 30 percent of his purse, which went to his opponent King Green.

๐Ÿ… Hall of Fame Announcements

During the event’s broadcast, former UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman was announced as the next “modern wing” UFC Hall of Fame inductee during International Fight Week festivities in Las Vegas in July. Also announced, longtime UFC writer Thomas Gerbasi will be inducted into the “contributor wing”.

๐Ÿ’ฐ Bonuses

The following fighters received $100,000 bonuses. The other finishes received $25,000 additional bonuses.

Bout Type Fighters Status Key Detail
Middleweight Championship Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland Headlined Champion vs. former champion
Flyweight Championship Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira Co-main event Moved from UFC 327 due to Van injury
Middleweight Osman Diaz vs. Ateba Gautier Took place Originally scheduled for UFC 320
Welterweight Sean Brady vs. Joaquin Buckley Moved to this card Originally slated for UFC Fight Night two weeks prior
๐Ÿ UFC 328 took place on May 9, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey, featuring two championship bouts. Several fights were rescheduled from earlier events due to injuries or undisclosed reasons, and one bout was cancelled after a fighter withdrew. The event also included Hall of Fame announcements for Chris Weidman and the late Thomas Gerbasi.