Sean Strickland challenges Khamzat Chimaev for the UFC middleweight title in the main event of UFC 328 on May 9. (Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images)
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Controversial former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has an opportunity to regain the 185-pound title on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey, but he has a stiff test on his hands. Strickland will challenge reigning middleweight king and undefeated boogeyman Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC 328.
These two men have constructed a bad-blood build toward their clash of epic proportions. Strickland comes in as a massive underdog and the stakes couldn't be higher for him. Here's everything you need to know about Strickland's next fight.
The main card kicks off at 9 p.m. ET, with Strickland and Chimaev expected to walk between 10:30 and 11 p.m. ET, depending on how earlier bouts run.
For U.K. fans, the broadcast runs late, with prelims starting at midnight BST and the main card at 2 a.m. BST on Sunday morning. If you’re searching this on Saturday in the U.S., Strickland fights tonight, headlining the card.
Strickland is challenging the undefeated Chimaev in a five-round title bout. Chimaev enters 15-0 with a 9-0 UFC mark, coming off a one-sided title win over Dricus du Plessis that was so dominant, it pushed him into the pound-for-pound conversation despite only having major success in one weight class.
Strickland (30-7) is the ex-champ who shocked Israel Adesanya as a heavy underdog in 2023 before losing the belt to du Plessis. He earned this shot by stopping grappler Anthony Hernandez in February and now sits at +410 to Chimaev's -550 favorite price, per CBS Sports' opening lines.
In the United States, UFC 328 streams live on Paramount+ with no additional pay-per-view fee. The full schedule runs early prelims at 5 p.m. ET, prelims at 7 p.m. ET, and main card at 9 p.m. ET, with Strickland vs. Chimaev closing the night.
In the United Kingdom, prelims begin at midnight BST and the main card kicks off at 2 a.m. BST on Sunday, with TNT Sports 1 and HBO Max carrying the broadcast. Most other supported markets get the card via Paramount+ at the same ET schedule, with local time conversion required.
If Strickland pulls the upset, the entire middleweight conversation flips. A win over Chimaev sets up either an immediate rematch with Chimaev, a DDP trilogy or another high-profile title defense, and it instantly resets his case as one of the most disruptive champions of the modern 185-pound era.
If he loses, this is likely his cleanest shot at the belt for the foreseeable future, and he'd probably slot into a high-end gatekeeper role against rising contenders rather than getting stacked back into another title fight.
Either outcome keeps him central to a middleweight division that's been one of the UFC's most volatile in years.
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