Chimaev warns Strickland 'you have two days left' after face-off

Khamzat Chimaev sent a blunt message to Sean Strickland at the UFC 328 press conference on Wednesday, telling the middleweight champion "you have two days left" immediately after the pair squared off in a tense face-off ahead of their title fight this Saturday.

Strickland, 35, carries the middleweight title into UFC 328 with a professional record of 31-7-0. 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 busiest strikers in the division, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute, and has held the championship heading into what promises to be a volatile title defense.

Chimaev, nicknamed "Borz," arrives as the number-one ranked middleweight contender and sits tenth on the pound-for-pound list. The UAE-based Swede, fighting out of Allstars Training Center, is 32 years old and carries a 15-1-0 record. At six-foot-two with a 75-inch reach, he brings an elite grappling game to the cage, averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside 1.8 submission attempts in the same span. His striking accuracy sits at a sharp 60 percent, despite a slightly lower output of 4.04 significant strikes per minute.

The confrontation at the media event was marked by physical posturing from both men, and Chimaev's verbal warning after the face-off underscored the animosity that has built between the two fighters.

Why it matters

• The middleweight title is on the line, making this one of the most consequential bouts on the UFC 328 card
• A Chimaev victory would place the number-one contender atop the division and shake up the pound-for-pound rankings
• The stylistic contrast is stark — Strickland's high-volume striking against Chimaev's takedown-heavy, submission-oriented attack sets up a genuine style clash
• The personal tension between the fighters adds an unpredictable edge to an already high-stakes encounter