UFC 328 is set for May 9, 2026, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, marking UFC's 12th visit there since UFC 316 in June 2025. The main event features undefeated Middleweight Champion Khamzat Chimaev defending against former champion Sean Strickland. Co-main is Flyweight Champion Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira. Additional bouts include Heavyweight Alexander Volkov vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta, Welterweight Sean Brady vs. Joaquin Buckley, and Lightweight King Green vs. Jeremy Stephens. This card strengthens the middleweight title picture with a high-stakes clash of styles, potentially defining Chimaev's reign. Expect more fights to be added as the event nears.
Reports indicate that UFC 328 is being targeted for May 9, 2026, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, though the card has not been officially confirmed. The headliner, per these reports, would pit undefeated Middleweight Champion Khamzat Chimaev against former champion Sean Strickland in what would be a first title defense for Chimaev.
Strickland, 35, carries a 31-7-0 record and brings one of the most relentless output games in the division. The American southpaw — fighting out of Xtreme Couture — stands six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach and lands 6.04 significant strikes per minute at 42 percent accuracy. A former middleweight titleholder, "Tarzan" would be angling to reclaim gold in this reported matchup.
The reported co-main event would see Flyweight Champion Joshua Van make a title defense against Tatsuro Taira. Van, nicknamed "The Fearless," is just 24 years old and already 17-2-0, representing Myanmar out of 4oz. Fight Club. He lands an eye-catching 8.84 significant strikes per minute at 56 percent accuracy, with a takedown rate of 0.84 per 15 minutes — numbers that mark him as one of the division's most dangerous finishers.
Also reportedly slated for the card are Alexander Volkov versus Waldo Cortes-Acosta at heavyweight, Sean Brady against Joaquin Buckley at welterweight, and a lightweight bout between King Green and Jeremy Stephens. Stephens, 40, is a longtime UFC veteran at 29-23-0, fighting out of Alliance MMA, who averages 3.15 significant strikes per minute and 1.11 takedowns per 15 minutes across his career.
Why it matters
- An unbeaten champion against a former titleholder raises the stakes of the middleweight division considerably
- Joshua Van's reported defense would be a high-profile test for one of the flyweight division's youngest champions
- The event would mark the UFC's 12th visit to Prudential Center, cementing Newark as a regular stop on the calendar
- None of these bouts are officially confirmed; additional matchups are expected to be announced closer to the date
Saturday, May 9, 2026
