Dana White admitted he was not vigilant enough during the faceoff between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland. White believes Chimaev struck Strickland below the belt during their confrontation, though a security guard on that side partially blocked the strike. The UFC president acknowledged that while some fighters show mutual respect, this situation represents one of the most intense real rivalries the promotion has witnessed. White's comments suggest the animosity between Chimaev and Strickland is genuine rather than manufactured for promotional purposes. The incident adds further tension to their upcoming UFC 328 matchup.
UFC president Dana White admitted Thursday that he failed to keep a close enough eye on the faceoff between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland, and now believes Chimaev landed a low blow on Strickland during the confrontation — just one day before their UFC 328 main event.
White said a security guard positioned on that side of the staredown partially obscured the strike, which he acknowledged he missed in real time. His comments frame the incident not as staged theater but as a window into one of the most authentic and combustible rivalries the UFC has seen in recent memory.
Sean Strickland, 35, enters UFC 328 as the reigning middleweight champion carrying a 31-7-0 record. Fighting out of Xtreme Couture, the six-foot-one American is one of the busiest strikers in the division, averaging 6.04 significant strikes per minute with a 76-inch reach that he deploys relentlessly from an orthodox stance.
Khamzat Chimaev, 32, arrives as the number-one ranked middleweight and the tenth-ranked fighter in the pound-for-pound standings, sporting a near-perfect 15-1-0 record. The UAE-based Swede stands six-foot-two and brings a profoundly different skill set to the matchup — his 60 percent striking accuracy is elite, and he averages a remarkable 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside 1.8 submission attempts in the same window, making him one of the most complete fighters on the roster.
Why it matters
- White's account suggests the bad blood between Chimaev and Strickland is real, not promotional, raising the likelihood of an explosive opening when they meet on the canvas.
- A Chimaev victory would hand the middleweight title to the division's top-ranked contender and its top pound-for-pound representative outside the 185-pound crown.
- The style contrast is stark: Strickland's relentless volume striking against Chimaev's grappling dominance sets up a genuine question of where the fight is decided.
Saturday, May 9, 2026
