Pereira picks winner in Chimaev vs Strickland

Alex Pereira has thrown his weight behind one of the combatants in the UFC 328 middleweight title fight, publicly picking a winner in the clash between champion Sean Strickland and top contender Khamzat Chimaev ahead of the Newark card on May 9.

Pereira, now the reigning light heavyweight champion, carries particular credibility when commenting on the 185-pound division. The Brazilian, who holds a 13-4 record at age 38, previously competed at middleweight and knows its landscape intimately. Standing six-foot-four with a 79-inch reach, "Poatan" lands 5.16 significant strikes per minute at 62 percent accuracy, numbers that reflect the finishing instincts that made him a force in the weight class before his move up.

Strickland enters UFC 328 as the middleweight champion with a 31-7 record. The 35-year-old American out of Xtreme Couture is one of the busiest strikers in the division, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute, and carries a six-foot-one frame with a 76-inch reach. He fights out of an orthodox stance and relies primarily on his boxing, averaging just 0.71 takedowns per 15 minutes.

His challenger, Khamzat Chimaev, presents a sharply contrasting profile. The 32-year-old "Borz," ranked first in the middleweight division and tenth pound-for-pound, owns a 15-1 record competing out of Allstars Training Center for the UAE. At six-foot-two, Chimaev posts a remarkable 60 percent striking accuracy while also threatening with 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes and 1.8 submission attempts per 15 minutes — a genuinely complete skillset that makes him a unique threat.

Why it matters

• Pereira's opinion carries divisional weight given his own middleweight history and current champion status
• The stylistic contrast between Strickland's volume striking and Chimaev's elite wrestling and grappling sets up a compelling tactical puzzle
• Any public commentary from a sitting champion adds friction and attention to an already high-stakes main event