UFC 328: Chimaev vs Strickland set for May 9 in Newark

The UFC middleweight title will be on the line at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 9, 2026, when champion Sean Strickland puts his belt on the line against top contender Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328. The event will air on Paramount+.

Strickland, known as "Tarzan," carries a 31-7-0 record into the fight and holds the middleweight championship at 35 years old. 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 division's most prolific volume strikers, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute, though his opponents find ways to make him work for each one, as his striking accuracy sits at 42 percent.

Chimaev, the Borz, enters as the number-one ranked middleweight and sits tenth in the pound-for-pound standings. The 32-year-old fighting out of the United Arab Emirates and training at Allstars Training Center holds a 15-1-0 record. At six-foot-two with a 75-inch reach, Chimaev is a physically imposing presence who blends striking with relentless grappling. His 60 percent striking accuracy ranks among the best in the division, and he averages an eye-catching 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside 1.8 submission attempts in the same window.

Why it matters

• Strickland is defending the middleweight title against the division's top-ranked challenger
• A Chimaev win would install the pound-for-pound top-10 fighter as the new 185-pound champion
• The stylistic contrast is stark: Strickland's high-volume boxing against Chimaev's smothering wrestling and grappling attack
• UFC 328 anchors the promotion's spring 2026 schedule with a marquee title fight in the New York metropolitan area