Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland participated in the final staredown before their UFC 328 bout. The face-off is part of the traditional pre-fight ceremonial weigh-in procedures. This marks the last scheduled face-to-face meeting between the two middleweights before they enter the octagon. The event took place as part of the official UFC 328 fight week programming. Tensions between the fighters have been running high throughout the promotional campaign.
Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland shared their final face-off on Friday as UFC 328 fight week drew to a close, completing the last scheduled ceremonial moment before the two middleweights settle matters inside the octagon on Saturday, May 9. Tensions that have simmered throughout the promotional campaign were on full display as the pair squared up at the official weigh-in.
Strickland, known as "Tarzan," enters the bout as the reigning middleweight champion, carrying a 31-7-0 record into his title defense. The 35-year-old American out of Xtreme Couture stands six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach and fights out of an orthodox stance. He is one of the division's most prolific volume strikers, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute, and has built his career around relentless forward pressure and output.
Chimaev, nicknamed "Borz," arrives as the top-ranked middleweight contender and sits at number ten in the pound-for-pound rankings. The 32-year-old representing the United Arab Emirates and training out of Allstars Training Center holds a 15-1-0 record and stands six-foot-two. His striking accuracy of 60 percent is among the most efficient in the division, and his grappling credentials are equally formidable — he averages 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes and 1.8 submission attempts in the same window.
Why it matters
- The middleweight title is on the line, with Chimaev pursuing his first UFC championship
- Chimaev's elite takedown volume of 5.29 per 15 minutes poses a direct challenge to Strickland's striking-based game plan
- A Chimaev victory would install the pound-for-pound top-ten fighter as champion and reshape the division's landscape
- Strickland's high output — over six significant strikes per minute — gives him a credible path to keeping the fight standing
Saturday, May 9, 2026
