Let’s take a look at the main card action ahead of UFC 328 this Saturday.
Khamzat Chimaev (C) vs. Sean Strickland (3) – Middleweight Title
One of the most heated rivalries in the sport comes to a head in Saturday’s main event as Khamzat Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) and Sean Strickland (30-7 MMA, 17-7 UFC) finally enter the Octagon to face each other.
Chimaev fights for the first time since delivering one of the most one-sided five-round beatdowns in promotional history when he dethroned Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319 last August. He landed 517 ground strikes (529 total) while being credited with 21:40 of control time against “Stillknocks.”
The champion absorbs an average of just 1.04 significant strikes per minute inside the Octagon, the best rate in middleweight history, while Strickland holds the record for the most strikes landed in divisional history (1,575), as well as the most in UFC competition overall (2,307) across his welterweight and middleweight runs.
The pressure Saturday night will be on Strickland to avoid suffering the same fate as Du Plessis, or at the very least show the ability to get back to his feet and drag the champion into the kind of deep waters Chimaev looked uncomfortable in during his 2023 fight against Kamaru Usman.
Joshua Van (C) vs. Tatsuro Taira (#3) – Flyweight Title
The first all-Asian men’s UFC title fight takes place in Saturday’s co-main event as Myanmar’s Joshua Van (16-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) defends his title against the dangerous Tatsuro Taira (18-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC), who is looking to become the promotion’s first Japanese champion.
No Japanese fighter has ever won a UFC or WEC title, with Japanese fighters going a combined 0-10-1 in championship bouts across the two promotions.
Van’s clearest path to victory lies in his elite boxing ability. “The Fearless” lands 8.84 significant strikes per minute, the highest rate in UFC history, while his opponent poses a massive threat once the fight hits the canvas.
Taira’s six stoppage victories since 2022 are the most in the flyweight division, and he is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous grapplers in the sport. His last three Octagon victories have all come after taking his opponents’ backs, and with 14 of his 18 career wins ending by stoppage, he poses a major threat to Van’s title reign this Saturday.
Alexander Volkov (#2) vs. Waldo Cortes Acosta (#4) – Heavyweight
After fighting a staggering five times in 2025, Waldo Cortes Acosta (17-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) appears to be competing at a more sustainable pace this year. The heavyweight stopped veteran Derrick Lewis at UFC 324 in January and enters this weekend’s matchup against Alexander Volkov (39-11 MMA, 13-5 UFC) off the kind of extended break he hasn’t enjoyed in quite some time.
Volkov has won five of his last six fights, with his lone defeat coming via highly debatable split decision against Ciryl Gane in December 2024.
The top of the heavyweight division appears logjammed due to Tom Aspinall’s eye injury and the arrival of Alex Pereira, but whoever emerges victorious on Saturday could force their way into the already crowded title picture.
Sean Brady (#6) vs. Joaquin Buckley (#9) – Welterweight
Both Sean Brady (18-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) and Joaquin Buckley (21-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) will look to return to winning ways and get their respective title pushes back on track this weekend.
Buckley was outwrestled by Usman in his lone appearance of 2025 and, after nearly a full year away from competition, will be eager to showcase the improvements he has made while training alongside “The Nigerian Nightmare” since that defeat.
He will likely need improved grappling to deal with Brady, who promised a submission finish while speaking exclusively to us earlier this week.
King Green vs. Jeremy Stephens – Lightweight
Two veterans collide in Saturday’s main card opener as King Green (34-17-1 MMA, 15-12-1 UFC) takes on Jeremy Stephens (29-22 MMA, 15-9 UFC).
Green’s recent form stands in stark contrast to that of his opponent. Wins over Lance Gibson Jr. and Daniel Zellhuber over the past six months have the 39-year-old entering this matchup with confidence, while Stephens is still searching for his first Octagon victory since 2018.
Putting aside his ventures into boxing and bare-knuckle fighting, “Lil’ Heathen” has not won an MMA fight since knocking out Josh Emmett more than eight years ago. Across his last 10 MMA bouts, Stephens holds a record of 1-8 with one no contest.
PRELIMINARY CARD
Ateba Gautier vs. Ozzy Diaz – Middleweight
Joel Alvarez vs. Yaroslav Amosov (#14) – Welterweight
Grant Dawson vs. Mateusz Rebecki – Lightweight
Jim Miller vs. Jared Gordon – Lightweight
EARLY PRELIMINARY CARD
Roman Kopylov vs. Marco Tulio - Middleweight
Pat Sabatini vs. William Gomis – Featherweight
Baisangur Susrkaev vs. Djorden Santos – Middleweight
Clayton Carpenter vs. Jose Ochoa – Flyweight
