Chimaev Faces Strickland at UFC 328 in Newark — Ufc Press Conference
UFC 328 lands at Prudential Center in Newark with Khamzat Chimaev defending the middleweight title against Sean Strickland in the main event. The ufc press conference spotlight around this card centers on a first title defense for Chimaev and a rematch-level test for Strickland, who is trying to climb back after two recent championship losses.
Chimaev and Strickland at Newark
Chimaev claimed the belt at UFC 319 last August with a dominant showing against Dricus Du Plessis. Now he puts the middleweight title up for grabs for the first time, and the matchup brings a former champion back into the championship picture.
Strickland reached this spot after a third-round stoppage of Anthony Hernandez in February. He has lost each of his last two championship bouts since winning the title at UFC 293, which turns this into more than a simple title shot; it is a chance to stop that slide and force the division back through him.
Van and Taira join the card
Joshua Van defends the flyweight title against Tatsuro Taira in the co-main event, giving the card twin title fights for the second consecutive year at Prudential Center. Van won the belt from Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 323 last December, while Taira has lost only once inside the Octagon, a split decision to Brandon Royval.
The booking also carries a small wrinkle: Van and Taira were originally set for UFC 327 before the fight moved to UFC 328. That shift leaves Newark with the same two championship stakes, but on a different date than first planned.
Newark’s UFC run
Newark has become a regular UFC stop over the last three years, and UFC 328 marks the 11th event there dating back to UFC 78: Validation. Michael Bisping and Rashad Evans headlined that first Newark show, and the city now gets another main event built around a title defense instead of a one-off attraction.
For fans headed to Prudential Center, the card now offers two title fights at the top of the bill and a main event built around whether Chimaev can extend his run in a division that Strickland has already ruled once before. The championship picture in Newark will be shaped by those two fights, not by the venue’s history alone.
