Khamzat Chimaev News

Chris Taylor - May 9, 2026

The Octagon returns to New Jersey for tonight’s UFC 328 event, a 13-bout fight card headlined by Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland. Chimaev (15-0 MMA) will be returning to action for the first time since claiming the promotion‘s middleweight title with a lopsided decision victory over Dricus Du Plessis this past August at UFC 319. Prior to that title-earning triumph, ‘Borz’ was coming off wins over former UFC champions Kamaru Usman and Robert Whittaker.

Curtis Calhoun - May 8, 2026

Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland came face-to-face for the final time ahead of UFC 328, and their faceoff didn’t disappoint. UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev and former titleholder Sean Strickland are hours away from squaring off inside the Octagon at UFC 328. But on the final day before fight day, the action nearly got started early in front of a raucous crowd at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-in.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 8, 2026

Tom Aspinall has shared his breakdown of Sean Strickland’s chances against Khamzat Chimaev ahead of Saturday’s UFC 328 event. Chimaev is set to put the UFC Middleweight Championship on the line against Strickland inside the Prudential Center in Newark. Many are wondering how Strickland will respond once his back hits the mat. It’s a question that Aspinall also has going into this weekend’s card.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 8, 2026

UFC 328 has its main event between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland official following the weigh-ins. Chimaev and Strickland tipped the scales in Newark on Friday morning. Each combatant hit the 185-pound mark before Saturday’s UFC Middleweight Championship fight.

BJ Penn Staff - May 8, 2026

Dillon Danis will not be allowed to attend UFC 328 this weekend. As it turns out, he’s not the only notable fighter who is barred from the event. UFC 328 goes down in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday. The main event will see undefeated middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev take on former champ Sean Strickland. It is one of the most intense grudge matches we’ve seen in years, and security personnel will have their hands full with the two headliners, as well as their teams. Evidently, they do not want any other agitators gaining access to the event and making their jobs more difficult.

Dylan Bowker - May 7, 2026

Khamzat Chimaev will defend his middleweight title against former champ Sean Strickland and one of the fighters who trains with ‘Borz’ has weighed in on this bad blood filled bout at UFC 328 on May 9th.  Zebaztian Kadestam is the combatant in question who works alongside the dominant UFC titleholder out of All Stars in Sweden. Kadestam is a former ONE welterweight champion who recently made his Oktagon MMA debut. He has been a long time teammate of Chimaev’s and when offering his thoughts on this Sean Strickland fight coming up on Saturday night, Kadestam said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],

Curtis Calhoun - May 7, 2026

UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev and former titleholder Sean Strickland stole the show at the UFC 328 press conference. Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland are hours away from clashing inside the Octagon at UFC 328. But before the action transpired in the cage, Chimaev and Strickland had quite the battle on the microphones at Thursday’s pre-fight press conference.

Harry Kettle - May 7, 2026

UFC champion Khamzat Chimaev’s coach Alan Nascimento believes he could pursue his dream of competing at the Olympics. On Saturday night, Khamzat Chimaev will defend the UFC middleweight championship for the first time. He will go head to head with Sean Strickland, a former champion in his own right, and it’s safe to say that emotions have been boiling over in recent weeks.

Curtis Calhoun - May 6, 2026

UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev didn’t exactly strike a sentimental tone in his reaction to Gilbert Burns’ retirement. Khamzat Chimaev is days away from his first UFC middleweight title defense, and he has a former rival on his mind.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 6, 2026

Sean Strickland has taken exception to Khamzat Chimaev leaking footage of their sparring session. Chimaev posted the clip on social media and wrote, “I am bullying weak people.” Most agree that there isn’t much to dissect from the video, but Strickland thinks it represents one of the things he dislikes about the UFC Middleweight Champion.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 6, 2026

Khamzat Chimaev feels he may have misjudged how strong Dricus du Plessis was going to be in their lopsided UFC title fight. Back in Aug. 2025, Chimaev challenged du Plessis for the UFC Middleweight Championship. While some felt du Plessis had a chance to make things interesting, he was outclassed in the grappling department. Chimaev scored 12 takedowns on 17 attempts. He also had 21 minutes and 40 seconds of total control time.

Curtis Calhoun - May 5, 2026

UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev dismissed Sean Strickland’s claim that he’s a ‘bully’ by posting sparring footage. Just hours away from one of the biggest UFC fights of 2026, bad blood boils between UFC middleweight champ Khamzat Chimaev and former titleholder Sean Strickland. Chimaev and Strickland are being separated by a large security presence throughout UFC 328 fight week, especially after Strickland recently threatened to ‘shoot’ Chimaev and his team if they crossed paths.

Curtis Calhoun - May 5, 2026

Former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis raised eyebrows with his fight week breakdown of Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland. Former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis knows a lot about UFC 328 headliners Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland ahead of their grudge match. After Chimaev defeated Du Plessis to win the UFC middleweight title last year at UFC 319, he’ll face the former titleholder Strickland in one of the biggest fights of 2026.

Cole Shelton - May 5, 2026

Sean Strickland is ready to pull off another massive upset to reclaim his middleweight title at UFC 328. Strickland is set to headline UFC 328 on Saturday against Khamzat Chimaev for the middleweight title in Newark, New Jersey. Heading into the bout, Strickland is a sizable underdog, but he has full confidence in his skillset that he won’t just beat Chimaev, but will finish him to reclaim the belt.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 5, 2026

Joe Rogan cautions those who believe Khamzat Chimaev will pitch a shutout against Sean Strickland on Saturday. Chimaev is scheduled to put the UFC Middleweight Championship at stake in the main event of UFC 328 in Newark. It’ll be the first title defense for “Borz.” Strickland is looking to become a two-time 185-pound titleholder under the UFC banner. While Strickland is known for his forward pressure and his cardio, Chimaev has been as automatic as it gets in the grappling department.

Cole Shelton - May 5, 2026

The UFC is in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday for a solid UFC 328 card that sees two title fights on the line, with the middleweight strap up for grabs in the main event. In the main event, Khamzat Chimaev looks to defend his belt for the first time against former champion Sean Strickland. Heading into the bout, Chimaev is a -590 favorite while the American is a +390 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the bout at UFC 328, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the middleweight title fight. To no surprise, the pros are backing the odds as they expect Khamzat Chimaev to dominate Sean Strickland to defend his title.

Cole Shelton - May 4, 2026

Khamzat Chimaev sent a stern message to Sean Strickland ahead of their middleweight title fight at UFC 328. Chimaev is set to defend his middleweight title in the main event of UFC 328 on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey, against Strickland in a highly anticipated bout. Heading into the fight, Chimaev is a sizable betting favorite, and he understands why as he expects to make easy work of the American.

BJ Penn Staff - May 4, 2026

We have officially entered UFC 328 fight week, and all eyes are on the main event: a middleweight title fight between undefeated champ Khamzat Chimaev, and former champ Sean Strickland. Ahead of time, Chimaev has been labelled as a substantial betting favorite by most sportsbooks, but there are many fans and pundits who believe Strickland has the right style to challenge the unbeaten champ.