Today (Thurs., March 12, 2026), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) CEO, Dana White, announced that Middleweight champion, Khamzat Chimaev, will make the first-ever defense of his title against former champion, Sean Strickland, at UFC 328 on Sat., May 9, 2026, inside Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Chimaev (15-0) captured the Middleweight title last year when he completely dominated Dricus du Plessis over five rounds (watch lowlights). The 31-year-old remains perfect in his UFC career, winning all nine of his Octagon appearances (six of them by finish).
That run includes a jaw-crushing submission victory over former champion Robert Whittaker, as well as a win over former Welterweight kingpin, Kamaru Usman.
Strickland (30-7), meanwhile, punched his ticket to another title opportunity in his most recent outing, knocking out Anthony Hernandez to snap the grappler’s eight-fight win streak (watch highlights). The victory came after Strickland spent one year away from competition, partly because of a six-month suspension stemming from an altercation with a regional fighter who had defeated one of his teammates at a Tuff-N-Uff event last June (details here).
The foul-mouthed contender is 2-2 in his last four fights, though both losses came in title bouts against du Plessis. He also holds notable victories over Israel Adesanya, the aforementioned Imavov and Paulo Costa, the latter of which took place in Newark back in 2024.
Checkout what UFC 328 looks like so far:
More fights are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
