Hamzat Chimaev kicked Sean Strickland in the leg during their face-off before UFC 328, escalating tensions between the two fighters. The altercation occurred after a heated verbal exchange, with Dana White attempting to calm the situation. Strickland responded to the kick by calling Chimaev a coward. The confrontation included Chimaev threatening Strickland and a physical strike during the staredown. A full transcript of their dialogue was provided by the channel.
Two days before UFC 328, a face-off between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland turned physical when Chimaev landed a leg kick on the middleweight champion during their staredown, with UFC president Dana White stepping in to try to defuse the situation.
The confrontation followed a heated verbal exchange between the two fighters. Strickland responded to the kick by publicly labeling Chimaev a coward, and the episode reportedly included direct threats from Chimaev during the face-off. A full transcript of the exchange was made available through a media channel.
Sean Strickland, nicknamed Tarzan, enters UFC 328 as the reigning middleweight champion with a professional record of 31 wins and 7 losses. The 35-year-old American trains out of Xtreme Couture and stands six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach. He is one of the most active strikers in the division, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute at 42 percent accuracy, and fights out of an orthodox stance.
Why it matters
- Strickland's middleweight title is on the line at UFC 328, set for May 9, 2026, giving the face-off incident immediate high-stakes context
- The physical contact during a pre-fight staredown is a notable breach of pre-event protocol and signals genuine animosity between the two camps
- Chimaev's aggression before the opening bell adds a psychological dimension heading into fight night, with Strickland already publicly motivated by the insult
Saturday, May 9, 2026
