UFC 328 is officially scheduled for May 9, 2026, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, headlined by a UFC Middleweight Championship clash between undefeated champion Khamzat Chimaev and former champion Sean Strickland. The card includes a rescheduled welterweight bout between Sean Brady and Joaquin Buckley, moved from a prior Fight Night. A middleweight matchup featuring Osman Diaz and Ateba Gautier was added after Diaz's prior withdrawal due to medical issues. A featherweight fight between Daniel Santos and Choi Doo-ho was shifted to another event. This bolsters the middleweight title picture and fills out a stacked card for UFC's 12th Newark visit.
Reports indicate that UFC 328 is set for May 9, 2026, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, headlined by a UFC Middleweight Championship bout between champion Khamzat Chimaev and former titleholder Sean Strickland, though the card has not yet received official confirmation.
Strickland, 35, enters the contest carrying a 31-7-0 record and is listed in the AgentMMA database as the current middleweight champion. The American fighter out of Xtreme Couture stands six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach and fights out of an orthodox stance. He is one of the most active strikers in the division, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute at 42 percent accuracy.
Also reportedly on the card is a welterweight contest between Sean Brady and Joaquin Buckley, rescheduled from a prior Fight Night. Brady, ranked seventh at 170 pounds, holds a 19-2-0 record and is one of the more effective grapplers in the division, averaging 3.53 takedowns per 15 minutes and connecting on 55 percent of his significant strikes. The 33-year-old trains out of Renzo Gracie Philly.
A middleweight bout between Osman Diaz and Ateba Gautier has also been added following Diaz's earlier withdrawal from a separate event due to medical reasons. Gautier, nicknamed The Silent Assassin, is just 24 years old and carries an 11-1-0 record. The switch-stance fighter stands six-foot-four with an 81-inch reach and lands 4.44 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy.
Why it matters
- A Chimaev vs. Strickland matchup would carry major middleweight title implications, with Strickland seeking to reclaim championship gold
- Brady vs. Buckley keeps the welterweight top-ten picture in motion at a high-profile numbered event
- Gautier, one of the younger prospects in the division, would gain significant exposure on a pay-per-view card
- Newark would host UFC for the 12th time, cementing Prudential Center as a recurring major venue on the calendar
Saturday, May 9, 2026
