Khamzat Chimaev struck Sean Strickland on the leg during their UFC 328 faceoff following a tense verbal exchange. The confrontation escalated when Strickland repeatedly called Chimaev a coward, prompting Chimaev to declare "I'll knock you out" before landing the strike. Dana White attempted to intervene, telling both fighters to behave normally. Strickland later commented on social media that the strike was exactly what he expected from someone he considers a coward. The incident adds further intensity to their upcoming middleweight bout.
Things got physical before a single punch was thrown in competition, as Khamzat Chimaev struck Sean Strickland on the leg during the UFC 328 faceoff on May 7, two days before the pair are scheduled to meet inside the octagon.
The confrontation deteriorated quickly when Strickland repeatedly labeled Chimaev a coward during the face-to-face exchange. Chimaev responded by declaring he would knock Strickland out, then followed through with a leg strike before UFC president Dana White stepped in and urged both men to keep things in check. Strickland later took to social media to say the moment was exactly what he had come to expect from someone he views as a coward.
Strickland, 35, enters UFC 328 as the reigning middleweight champion, carrying a record of 31 wins and 7 losses. The American, who trains out of Xtreme Couture, is one of the most active volume strikers in the division, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute and sporting a six-foot-one frame with a 76-inch reach.
Chimaev, 32, comes in as the top-ranked middleweight contender and sits tenth in the pound-for-pound rankings, holding a 15-1 record. Fighting out of Allstars Training Center and representing the United Arab Emirates, the six-foot-two Borz brings a markedly different threat profile — a 60 percent striking accuracy rate paired with an elite grappling output of 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes and 1.8 submission attempts in the same window.
Why it matters
- The leg strike at the faceoff raises the temperature on an already charged title fight set for May 9
- Strickland's volume striking game will be tested against Chimaev's elite wrestling and submission pressure
- A Chimaev win would hand the pound-for-pound top-ten contender his first UFC middleweight title and dethrone one of the division's most polarizing champions
Saturday, May 9, 2026
