As perhaps the most talked-about fight in combat sports currently, Khamzat Chimaev will put his UFC Middleweight title on the line when he takes on the brash-talking Sean Strickland at UFC 328 on Sunday, as the two finally come together as bitter Mixed Martial Arts enemies.
In addition to the never-ending storylines, Chimaev (15-0-0) and Strickland (30-7-0) once shared a sporting bond as training partners. However, following a series of disagreements and fallouts, the two Middleweight kings despise each other ahead of a potentially gruelling title fight.
Strickland, who frequently labelled Chimaev a ‘terrorist’, comes into the fight as a former Middleweight champion after he claimed the belt in an impressive unanimous decision win over fighting great Israel Adesanya at UFC293 on 10 September 2023.
The 35-year-old lost the title in his very next fight, after Dricus Du Plessis secured a split decision win at UFC297 on 20 January 2024. After a second loss to Du Plessis, Strickland secured two victories in his last four fights, most notably a knockout win over Anthony Hernandez in the main event at UFC Fight Night on 21 February 2026.
Chimaev on the other hand, is unbeaten and secured major wins over UFC stars such as Gilbert Burns, Kevin Holland, Kamaru Usman, Robert Whittaker and more recently, Du Plessis, where he was crowned Middleweight champion in a unanimous decision win at UFC 319.
Known for his world class grappling and wrestling abilities, the Chechen fighter stands in line to record his 10th consecutive fight in the UFC.
Speaking ahead of the fight, Chimaev expressed that he solely intends on ‘smashing’ Strickland before detailing a largely predictable fighting style by his opponent.
“He can try whatever he wants to try, but it’s not going to work with me. I see him only doing like jab, jab, right hand, jab,” Chimaev said.
“So, if we do just a boxing fight, I can beat this guy up. But, I never think about my opponent’s style. Why should I think about what he’s going to do?
“He has only one thing. Just hope. You see UFC 328, going to go there to smash that guy.”
In the co-main event, Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira will compete in the Flyweight division as fighters hoping to stake their claim as serious contenders in the division.
Elsewhere, Sean Brady and Joaquin Buckley will compete in the Welterweight division as two largely popular fighters in the UFC, while veterans King Green and Jeremy Stephens will trade leather in the Lightweight division.