UFC 328 press conference draws 210,000 live viewers, fifth-highest ever

The UFC 328 press conference drew 210,000 live viewers on YouTube on May 8, making it the fifth-most-watched press conference in UFC history and the most-viewed ever to not feature Conor McGregor.

The event centered on the upcoming middleweight title clash between champion Sean Strickland and top contender Khamzat Chimaev, scheduled for UFC 328 on May 9. The viewership figure places the event behind four McGregor-headlined press conferences, with the record still belonging to the Khabib Nurmagomedov versus McGregor UFC 229 event, which drew 505,000 live viewers. The other three McGregor appearances in the rankings ranged from 300,000 to 360,000 viewers.

Strickland, known as "Tarzan," holds the middleweight title at 35 years old and carries a 31-7 record. The American fighter out of Xtreme Couture stands six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach and lands 6.04 significant strikes per minute, making him one of the division's most active volume strikers.

Chimaev, nicknamed "Borz," enters the fight ranked first in the middleweight division and tenth in the pound-for-pound rankings. The 32-year-old representing the United Arab Emirates out of Allstars Training Center holds a 15-1 record and leads with a striking accuracy of 60 percent, complemented by 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes and 1.8 submission attempts per 15 minutes.

Why it matters

• The viewership figure is the highest ever recorded for a UFC press conference without McGregor involved, underlining the star power both fighters carry heading into the event.
• Chimaev and Strickland present a sharp stylistic contrast: an elite grappler with high submission volume against a high-output striker who rarely shoots for takedowns.
• A title change at 185 pounds would carry significant pound-for-pound implications given Chimaev's current top-ten status.