Chimaev Kicks Strickland at UFC 328 Press Conference — Sean Strickland Vs Khamzat
sean strickland vs khamzat turned physical Thursday evening in Newark, N.J., when Khamzat Chimaev kicked Sean Strickland during the UFC 328 pre-fight press conference at the Prudential Center. The confrontation came with multiple UFC security guards and New Jersey police officers already lined up on stage for the middleweight title fight.
Prudential Center confrontation
Strickland and Chimaev traded insults and threats before the kick, pushing the buildup to Saturday night’s championship bout past talk and into a public confrontation. Chimaev, the UFC middleweight champion, and Strickland, a former champion in the 185-pound division, had trained together briefly at the Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas a few years ago.
Chimaev leaned into that history while addressing Strickland, saying, "I would beat him up every day. … He’s never going to beat me." He also said, "I’ve submitted him many times. He knows about it. The guys (in the gym) know about it. He’s not happy, that’s why he’s stressed."
Strickland answers back
Strickland fired back with wrestling and pace talk of his own. "You can try to dry hump me all you want," he said, before adding, "The fans don’t want to watch a boring-ass fight." He also said, "I want you to wrestle. I will out-wrestle you. I’ll out-wrestle you any day of the week," and called Chimaev a bully.
Chimaev answered, "I’m gonna bully you in the cage." That line fit the scene on stage, where the fight card’s co-main event names were largely drowned out by the main-event clash, even though Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira were also on stage.
UFC 328 stakes in Newark
The matchup has been building for months since it was officially announced, and the tone in Newark matched that buildup. Strickland lost two five-round decisions to Dricus Du Plessis in 2024 and 2025, while Chimaev became champion last August by beating Du Plessis via five-round unanimous decision.
Van, who won the men’s flyweight title in December when Alexandre Pantoja sustained an injury early in the fight, said on stage, "Bro, this s--- is crazy," then added, "I’m enjoying every single moment right here," and, "Now it’s time to show what kind of champion I am." But the night belonged to the middleweight rivals, and the kick made the UFC 328 press conference look more like a warning shot than a routine media event.
