Immediately following the UFC 328 face-off altercation, Khamzat Chimaev issued a direct warning to Sean Strickland, telling him he has only two days remaining before their fight. The comment came after the physical confrontation during the staredown where Chimaev kicked Strickland. The post asks followers to vote on who won the press conference between the two fighters. The entire sequence of events from the press conference is documented and available for review according to the channel.
A physical altercation at the UFC 328 pre-fight press conference escalated further when Khamzat Chimaev delivered a pointed message to Sean Strickland after the two men clashed during their staredown. Chimaev, who kicked Strickland during the face-off, followed up by telling the middleweight champion he had only two days left before their scheduled bout on May 9.
Strickland, nicknamed "Tarzan," enters the contest as the reigning middleweight champion carrying a 31-7-0 record. The 35-year-old American, who trains out of Xtreme Couture and stands six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach, is one of the division's most active strikers, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute at 42 percent accuracy.
Chimaev, known as "Borz," brings a 15-1-0 record into the fight as the number-one ranked middleweight contender and the tenth-ranked fighter pound-for-pound. The 32-year-old representing the United Arab Emirates and training at Allstars Training Center stands six-foot-two and connects on 60 percent of his significant strikes. His grappling profile is equally imposing, averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside 1.8 submission attempts in the same span.
Why it matters
- Strickland defends middleweight gold against the division's top-ranked challenger
- Chimaev's elite takedown rate of 5.29 per 15 minutes poses a direct challenge to Strickland's high-volume striking game
- The pre-event confrontation, which turned physical during the staredown, has added a sharp edge to an already high-stakes title fight
- Both fighters are orthodox stance, setting up a technically intriguing matchup at close range
Saturday, May 9, 2026
