The UFC 328 press conference featuring Chimaev vs Strickland attracted 210,000 live viewers on YouTube, making it the fifth-highest viewership for a UFC press conference in the promotion's history. It ranks as the most-watched presser that did not feature Conor McGregor. The all-time record is held by the Khabib vs McGregor UFC 229 press conference with 505,000 live viewers, followed by McGregor vs Poirier 3 and McGregor vs Diaz with 360,000 each. The strong numbers reflect significant fan interest in the upcoming Chimaev-Strickland matchup despite neither fighter being McGregor.
The UFC 328 press conference drew 210,000 live viewers on YouTube, establishing itself as the fifth-most-watched press conference in the promotion's history and generating rare pre-fight buzz for a card headlined by two fighters not named Conor McGregor.
The milestone puts the Khamzat Chimaev versus Sean Strickland face-off in elite company. The all-time record belongs to the UFC 229 press conference between Khabib Nurmagomedov and McGregor, which attracted 505,000 live viewers. McGregor versus Poirier 3 and McGregor versus Diaz each drew 360,000. The UFC 328 presser now sits fifth on that list and stands alone as the most-watched press conference that did not involve McGregor.
Sean Strickland enters as the reigning middleweight champion, carrying a 31-7-0 record into Saturday's headliner. The 35-year-old American out of Xtreme Couture stands six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach and has built his reputation on relentless output, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute. His striking accuracy sits at 42 percent, and the grappling side of his game remains a secondary weapon with 0.71 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Chimaev is the division's top-ranked contender and sits tenth in the pound-for-pound rankings, arriving with a 15-1-0 record. The 30-year-old representing the United Arab Emirates and training out of Allstars Training Center stands six-foot-two and posts a striking accuracy of 60 percent. His defining attribute is a suffocating wrestling game: 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes and 1.8 submission attempts in the same window make him one of the most complete threats in the weight class.
Why it matters
- The viewership figure signals mainstream crossover interest in a title fight between two legitimate top-ten middleweights
- A Chimaev victory would install the pound-for-pound number-ten fighter as middleweight champion and shake up the entire division
- Strickland's high-volume striking against Chimaev's elite grappling presents one of the starkest stylistic contrasts the 185-pound division has seen in a title bout
Saturday, May 9, 2026
