UFC 328 presser draws 210K viewers, fifth-highest in UFC history

The UFC 328 press conference drew 210,000 live viewers on YouTube, cementing its place as the fifth most-watched UFC press conference in the promotion's history. The event, held the day before UFC 328, centered on the middleweight clash between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland.

The viewership figure carries an added distinction: it stands as the highest ever recorded for a UFC press conference not featuring Conor McGregor. The all-time record belongs to the Khabib Nurmagomedov versus McGregor faceoff ahead of UFC 229, which pulled 505,000 live viewers. Khabib, the undefeated Russian wrestling specialist who compiled a 29-0 record and averaged an extraordinary 5.32 takedowns per 15 minutes throughout his career, was the other half of that record-setting moment. The four spots above UFC 328 are all occupied by McGregor matchups — the Nurmagomedov bout, both Nate Diaz fights, and the trilogy clash with Dustin Poirier. Poirier, the 37-year-old American southpaw from American Top Team who carries a 30-10 record and lands 5.24 significant strikes per minute, was part of that fourth-place presser.

Strickland, the current middleweight champion, enters UFC 328 at 35 years old with a 31-7 record fighting out of Xtreme Couture. The six-foot-one Orthodox striker boasts a 76-inch reach and leads all middleweights with 6.04 significant strikes landed per minute, though his 42 percent striking accuracy reflects a high-volume approach.

Why it matters

• The number places UFC 328 among elite-tier events in terms of pre-fight public interest
• It is the first press conference outside the McGregor era to crack the all-time top five
• The milestone arrives despite neither Chimaev nor Strickland holding previous UFC gold — Strickland is the reigning champion heading in
• Divisional stakes in the middleweight title picture amplify the significance of the viewership benchmark