UFC 328 is live this weekend (Sat., May 9, 2026) at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. Undefeated champion Khamzat Chimaev returns to action for the first time since claiming the title last August, aiming to defend the middleweight belt against former champion Sean Strickland.

Chimaev won the title with a dominant showing at UFC 319, pitching a shutout against Dricus Du Plessis, who had zero answers for the wrestling and top position game of the newly minted titleholder. Though he hasn’t been the same ferocious menace he was in each of his first three UFC appearance Chimaev has remained unbeaten while facing stiffer challenges and more scrutiny and has risen to the occasion in impressive fashion in each of his last two outings. Strickland jumped to the front of the line of title contenders with a brilliant performance against Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez in February, fighting with a greater sense of urgency and more aggression while securing a third-round stoppage win. The 35-year-old has lost each of his last two championship bouts since shocking Israel Adesanya and claiming the title at UFC 293 and will need a performance similar to the one he delivered in Houston if he aims to become a two-time champion this weekend.

Everything about this fight hinges on Strickland’s ability to effectively pressure the champion and successfully defend takedowns, as his personal blend of consistent forward movement and steady output feels like one possible way to contend with Chimaev’s aggressive grappling offense. Du Plessis barely made him work, and the fight turned lopsided in a hurry. If Strickland can’t find a way to get Chimaev moving backwards and land with impact, he could very well suffer the same fate as his South African nemesis. Originally scheduled to take place last month at UFC 327, Miami’s loss is Newark’s gain as Joshua Van defends the flyweight title against Japanese contender Tatsuro Taira in Saturday’s co-main event.

Just before Van defeated Pantoja last December, Taira stopped two-time champ Brandon Moreno to close out a dominant performance of his own. The 26-year-old has similarly lost only once inside the Octagon — a split decision to Brandon Royval in a wildly entertaining five-round fight —and has earned finishes in six of his eight UFC wins. While this profiles as a “striker versus grappler” battle, both men are more well-rounded than those designations suggest, which makes this one feel like more of a battle of wills and endurance than anything else. As simple as it often sounds, whoever is able to dictate the terms of engagement will hold the upper hand, but that resets after every round, so the key will be seeing how each respond if they drop a round or two early in the fight. Alexander Volkov and Waldo Cortes Acosta meet in a battle of heavyweights, looking to cement their place at the top of the list of active contenders as things in the division start to really get moving for the first time this year.