Strickland edges Chimaev to win middleweight title at UFC 328

NEWARK, N.J. — Sean Strickland won UFC's 185-pound championship for the second time in his career Saturday, defeating Khamzat Chimaev via split decision in a bout that never rose to the level of vitriol and threats of violence outside the cage both fighters engaged in ahead of the main event of UFC 328. Strickland won two scorecards 48-47 while Chimaev took the other scorecard at 48-47 in front of a crowd of 17,783 fans at the Prudential Center. Strickland, the second former middleweight to regain the title, mimed putting the belt around his waist after the fifth round ended to wrap a fight where neither fighter ever seemed in serious danger. He had help with his shiny new fashion accessory when Chimaev did the honors for him inside the cage. "I should be a better (expletive) example when I try to sell these fights for you fans," Strickland said. UFC beefed up security at hotels, public events and around the cage for this one following one of the more loathsome displays — specifically, Strickland — of trash talk in recent fight history. Strickland threatened to shoot Chimaev and labeled him a terrorist because of his ties to Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov. Chimaev, who lost for the first time in 16 pro fights, is of Chechen ethnicity and fights under the United Arab Emirates banner, had countered by saying he would "take off" Strickland's head. UFC CEO Dana White — who expressed confidence Conor McGregor would return to fight this summer — said Chimaev told him after the fight he wanted to move up in weight class. The fighters tapped gloves to start the fight to prove they were professionals and the prefight hostilities never spilled over into the cage. The 35-year-old Strickland, who won the 185-pound belt in September 2023 and lost it in his first title defense, apologized after the fight to fans of all ethnicities and acknowledged he "went too (dang) hard" in weaponizing stereotypes to sell the fight. "I respect all you guys," Strickland said, rattling off Christians, Muslims, and also races. Van retains flyweight title in co-main event Joshua Van mauled Tatsuro Taira into a bloody mess in the co-main and successfully defended his 125-pound championship in the first title fight in company history contested between two Asian fighters. Van dominated with elite boxing and won via stoppage at 1:32 of round five and had the crowd roaring in his first title defense since he beat Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 323. Van (17-2) seized control in the second round with a violent right hand to the jaw for the knockdown and he repeatedly bashed Taira (18-2) in the face. Van failed to finish the round but continued to rip shots the rest of the rounds to the face and body that left Taira's face and chest smeared with blood. Van and Taira marked the first time UFC has a title fight with both competitors born in the 2000s. The 24-year-old Van, of Myanmar, has won seven straight fights and 10 of 11 since he signed with UFC — and few bigger than in the co-main event of UFC's 11th stop in Newark. Taira failed in his try to become the first Japanese fighter to become UFC champion. UFC conducted its last major card before its June 14 show at the White House to fete President Donald Trump, a proud proponent of cage match politics. The show — what White dubbed a "1 of 1 event" — is timed for Trump's 80th birthday and as part of the nation's 250th anniversary. Trump, who frequently attends major UFC events, did not attend Saturday at the Prudential Center. In other fights of note on the main card, Sean Brady defeated Joaquin Buckley via unanimous decision; King Green choked out Jeremy Stephens; and Alexander Volkov defeated Waldo Cortes-Acosta via unanimous decision. White said the company was aware of abnormal betting patterns ahead of the Brady fight but found nothing wrong. "It's not surprising when a card is this good, and a fight like that, the line will move," White said. Miller win first fight since teenage son beats childhood cancer On the undercard, 42-year-old Jim Miller used a submission victory to boost his record totals for UFC fights and career victories in his first return to the cage since his teenage son beat a rare form of childhood cancer. A New Jersey native, Miller defeated Jared Gordon in a lightweight bout at UFC 328 with a rear naked choke at 3:29 of the first round and his family cheering him on from the Prudential Center. Miller extended his record with 28 career wins in 47 fights under the UFC banner. Miller, who signed a new five-fight deal Saturday, also earned his 20th finish, second most in UFC history. Wyatt Miller, 14, was diagnosed last year with rhadbomyosacroma, a rare type of cancer that starts as a growth of cells in soft tissue and is more common in childhood. Wyatt underwent two courses of chemotherapy and five weeks of proton radiation at Rutgers University Cancer Institute and was eventually given a clean bill of health. "My son went through some really difficult times the last couple of months," Miller said inside the octagon. "He ended up kicking the (heck) out of cancer. He's all good today. He's cancer free. One of the things I told him when he first got diagnosed was, Millers have been called a lot of names over the years, but fragile's never been one of them. He fought his way through it." His son's cancer scare kept Miller out of the cage for 13 months, an eternity for a fighter who made a habit of competing multiple times a year. Miller lost to Chase Hooper in his last fight at UFC 314 in April 2025.