Dana White claims Chimaev landed groin strike during UFC 328 face-off

UFC president Dana White has weighed in on the physical altercation between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland during their face-off ahead of UFC 328, claiming Chimaev landed a strike to Strickland's groin area during the heated exchange. White added that he had been holding Chimaev's hands at the moment the incident occurred, offering his firsthand account of what unfolded at the pre-fight ceremony one day before their middleweight title fight.

Strickland, 35, enters the bout as the reigning middleweight champion, carrying a professional record of 31-7-0. The American fighter out of Xtreme Couture stands six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach and has built his championship reign on relentless volume striking, averaging 6.04 significant strikes per minute with an orthodox stance.

Chimaev, 32, represents the division's top-ranked contender and sits at number ten in the pound-for-pound rankings. Fighting out of Allstars Training Center and representing the United Arab Emirates, the six-foot-two Borz carries a 15-1-0 record and brings a distinctly different threat profile to the matchup. He averages an elite 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes and lands 60 percent of his significant strikes, making him one of the most well-rounded challengers Strickland has faced.

Why it matters

• The altercation has dramatically raised the public profile of an already high-stakes middleweight title fight
• White's account suggests physical contact was made, which could intensify animosity between the two fighters heading into fight night
• Strickland's high-volume striking game against Chimaev's elite grappling and takedown output sets up a genuine stylistic clash for the 185-pound title
• Any physical incident at a face-off involving the champion and the number-one contender draws immediate scrutiny from the promotion and the broader MMA community