Chimaev vs. Strickland: a championship showdown at the Prudential Center
In short: On May 9, 2026, the UFC returned to Newark for a high-stakes night of mixed martial arts. Headlined by a middleweight title fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland, the event featured significant shifts in the fight card and major Hall of Fame announcements.
UFC 328, held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, marked the promotion's 12th visit to the city and its first since UFC 316 in June 2025. The event's marquee bout featured a Middleweight Championship clash between the reigning champion, Khamzat Chimaev, and former champion Sean Strickland. This high-profile matchup served as the centerpiece of a complex card shaped by various injuries and scheduling changes.
The co-main event saw a Flyweight Championship bout between Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira. This pairing had a turbulent history, originally slated for UFC 327 in April 2026 before Van withdrew due to a knee injury. Although originally slated for UFC 302 in June 2024, the pairing was rescheduled and eventually scrapped before reaching this card.
Beyond the cage, the event served as a platform for major UFC Hall of Fame announcements during International Fight Week festivities in Las Vegas. Ex-Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman was announced as the upcoming 'modern wing' inductee. Furthermore, the 'contributor wing' will posthumously honour veteran combat sports journalist Thomas Gerbasi, who acted as UFC.com's editorial director for more than 20 years until his death on September 16, 2025, at age 57.
The night also saw various performance bonuses awarded, including $100,000 for the Fight of the Night (Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira) and $100,000 for Performance of the Night to Yaroslav Amosov and Jim Miller. Other finishes on the card earned an additional $25,000 bonus.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: UFC 328
- Also: Wikidata — UFC 328 · CC0
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