UFC 328: Strickland retains middleweight title after split decision victory over Chimaev

Sean Strickland has successfully defended his UFC middleweight championship against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328, securing a split decision victory with scores of 48–47, 48–47, and 47–48. The bout, headlined by significant pre-fight hostility involving ethnic stereotypes and death threats, did not result in a knockout or technical decision, as neither fighter was seriously threatened inside the cage. Strickland, 35, won the title for the second time in his career, while Chimaev, 34, suffered his first professional loss in 16 fights.

Following the conclusion of the fifth round, Strickland mimed putting the belt around his waist, an action Chimaev assisted with inside the cage. Post-fight, Strickland apologised to fans of all ethnicities, acknowledging he "went too hard" in weaponising stereotypes to sell the fight. The event was held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, in front of a crowd of 17,783 fans, marking the UFC's last major card before its June 14 show at the White House hosted by President Donald Trump.

In the co-main event, Joshua Van defeated Tatsuro Taira in a title fight that marked the first UFC title contest between two fighters born in the 2000s. Van, of Myanmar, defeated the 24-year-old Taira via stoppage at 1:32 of round five, dominating with superior boxing skills to leave Taira's face and chest smeared with blood. This victory represented Van's first title defence since he beat Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 323.

On the undercard, veteran Jim Miller returned to the octagon after 13 months following his son's cancer diagnosis and treatment. Miller, a New Jersey native, defeated Jared Gordon via rear-naked choke at 3:29 of the first round to extend his tenure in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The bout extended Miller's record with 28 career wins in 47 fights under the UFC banner and marked his 20th finish, the second most in UFC history.

The event also saw Alexander Volkov defeat Waldo Cortes-Acosta via unanimous decision in the Heavyweight division, with judges scoring the bout 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28 in favour of the Russian fighter. Volkov maintained his kicking attack throughout the three rounds, positioning himself as a potential future challenger for the Heavyweight title pending the resolution of other title unification efforts.

Security for the event was significantly increased at hotels, public events, and around the cage following one of the more loathsome displays of trash talk in recent fight history. Strickland had threatened to shoot Chimaev and labelled him a "terrorist" because of his ties to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, while Chimaev countered by saying he would "take off" Strickland's head. Despite the vitriol outside the cage, the fighters tapped gloves to start the fight to prove they were professionals, and the prefight hostilities never spilled over into the cage.