UFC 328: Chimaev vs. Strickland results, analysis

UFC 328 took place Saturday night at Prudential Center in Newark. In the main event, Sean Strickland upset Khamzat Chimaev via split decision to reclaim the middleweight title. theScore's Nick Baldwin provided live results and analysis throughout the card.

📌 Jump to: Van's TKO | Volkov's UD | Brady's UD | Green's sub | Prelims | Early prelims

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Strickland conquers Chimaev, gets title back 🚨

Sean Strickland became the first fighter to defeat Khamzat Chimaev, winning a split decision to recapture the UFC middleweight championship. The American survived Chimaev's patented first-round wrestling onslaught, then began to take over en route to a 47-48, 48-47, 48-47 decision.

Strickland won the middleweight title in 2023 by defeating Israel Adesanya, but lost it to Dricus Du Plessis in his first attempt to defend it. He's now a two-time champion and the only man to beat the vaunted Chimaev.

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Van thumps Taira to keep flyweight belt

Joshua Van successfully defended the UFC flyweight championship for the first time, picking up a fifth-round TKO of Tatsuro Taira. The challenger took Van to the canvas early in the bout, but Van's crisp boxing took over as the fight progressed. Taira was vying to become the first UFC champion from Japan.

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Volkov edges out Cortes-Acosta

Heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov eked out a decision win against Waldo Cortes-Acosta, with the judges scoring the fight 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28 in his favor.

Volkov used his reach advantage to outwork Cortes-Acosta in the stand-up department, landing jabs and calf kicks throughout the tilt.

After the win, the 37-year-old Russian said he wants a crack at the heavyweight championship.

"I'm ready for title shot now," Volkov said in his postfight interview.

Volkov has now won two in a row after defeating Jailton Almeida via split decision at UFC 321 last October. His lone loss in his past seven fights came against Ciryl Gane in December 2024.

Brady dominates Buckley

Welterweight contender Sean Brady made a statement against Joaquin Buckley, suffocating him on the ground en route to a unanimous decision victory (30-25, 30-25, 30-27).

Buckley had no answers for Brady's grappling game. Brady amassed over 12 minutes of control time on the ground and outlanded Buckley 245-21 in total strikes.

It was a massive bounce-back win for Brady, who suffered a knockout loss to Michael Morales at UFC 322 last November at Madison Square Garden. Brady, ranked No. 6 in the division, is now 4-1 in his last five Octagon appearances.

Buckley, the No. 9-ranked welterweight, stepped into the cage for the first time since a loss to former champion Kamaru Usman last June. He's lost two in a row for the first time since 2022.

Weidman gets call to the Hall

Former middleweight champion Chris Weidman will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer, the promotion announced. Weidman produced one of the most iconic knockouts in MMA history when he ended Anderson Silva's title reign in 2013. He scored three successful title defenses of his own after taking the belt from Silva.

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Green runs through Stephens

Veteran lightweight King Green scored a huge win in his return to the Octagon, bulldozing his way past Jeremy Stephens for a first-round submission win.

Green dragged Stephens to the mat and landed a barrage of ferocious ground-and-pound before locking up a rear-naked choke at the 4:20 mark of the round.

The 39-year-old is now riding a three-fight winning streak. He was coming off a knockout win over Daniel Zellhuber at UFC Mexico City in February.

Stephens stepped into the Octagon for the first time since May 2025 and has now dropped three consecutive bouts in MMA. The 39-year-old's most recent fight before Saturday was a loss to Mike Perry under the BKFC banner last November.

Gautier back in KO column

Middleweight prospect Ateba Gautier started a new knockout streak with a second-round finish of Ozzy Diaz, capping off the prelims in style.

Gautier, a 24-year-old Cameroonian training out of Manchester Top Team, won a decision as a heavy favorite his last time out, ending his string of eight consecutive knockout victories. His inability to put away Andrey Pulyaev in January put a damper on his growing hype.

But Gautier put himself back in the good graces against Diaz, landing a clean overhand right and two follow-up shots on the ground. Neither fighter established much in the first round. Gautier called for a matchup with former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in his postfight interview.

Amosov shines in 2nd UFC bout

Former Bellator welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov delivered an impressive performance to stay unbeaten in his young UFC career. He submitted Joel Alvarez with an arm-triangle choke at the 1:13 mark of the second round.

Amosov, ranked No. 14 in the 170-pound division, improved to 2-0 in the Octagon and 30-1 as a professional. The 32-year-old Ukrainian made his debut in December, earning a submission win against Neil Magny.

Amosov grinded out Alvarez in the first round before securing the choke in the second.

His lone career loss came against Jason Jackson at Bellator 301 in November 2023.

Dawson taps out Rebecki

Lightweight Grant Dawson overcame a knockdown in the second round to submit Mateusz Rebecki at the 4:42 mark of the third round.

It was a back-and-forth fight, as Dawson controlled Rebecki on the ground in the opening stanza before Rebecki tied things up in the middle frame with heavy punches on the feet. Dawson managed to get on top of Rebecki in the third round and sink in a rear-naked choke just seconds before the final horn.

Dawson, 32, bounced back from a knockout loss to Manuel Torres last December and is now 4-1 in his last five Octagon appearances. Rebecki is riding a three-fight skid and has lost four of his last five bouts.

Miller's still got it

Jim Miller earned the 28th win of his UFC career, submitting Jared Gordon with a guillotine choke at the 3:29 mark of the first round.

The 42-year-old New Jersey native got back on track from a loss to Chase Hooper at UFC 314 last April and picked up his first win since November 2024.

Miller has the most wins in UFC history, three ahead of Charles Oliveira (25). He also owns the second-most finishes (20) and submissions (14) behind Oliveira.

Kopylov pummels Tulio

Roman Kopylov dropped Marco Tulio three times en route to a unanimous decision victory (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) in a middleweight bout.

Kopylov lost the first round before turning the tide over the next two, battering Tulio with hard punches on the feet and nearly finishing him on multiple occasions.

The 35-year-old Russian snapped a two-fight skid and picked up his first win since January 2025.

Sabatini beats Gomis

Pat Sabatini defeated William Gomis via unanimous decision in a featherweight bout, extending his winning streak to four. The judges scored the fight 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28 in Sabatini's favor.

Sabatini held Gomis in the clinch and on the ground throughout the uneventful fight. The 35-year-old completed three takedowns and compiled over 11 minutes of control time.

With the victory, Sabatini remained unbeaten since a knockout loss to Diego Lopes in November 2023.

Susurkaev remains undefeated with late submission

Undefeated middleweight Baisangur Susurkaev improved to 3-0 in the UFC with a submission win over Djorden Santos. The finish came at the 4:12 mark of the third round.

Susurkaev controlled the action in the stand-up department in the first two rounds. Then, in the third round, he got Santos to the ground and put him to sleep with a rear-naked choke.

The 25-year-old Russian broke through with a first-round knockout win on the last season of Dana White's Contender Series. He made his Octagon debut at UFC 319 in August and has earned finishes in all three of his fights to date.

Ochoa earns dominant win in curtain jerker

Flyweight prospect Jose Ochoa put on a striking clinic in the first fight of the night, defeating Clayton Carpenter via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Ochoa dropped Carpenter in the first round and landed devastating jabs and body shots throughout the fight. He had a 153-86 edge in significant strikes.

With the win, the 25-year-old Peruvian improved to 2-2 in the UFC since his November 2024 debut. Meanwhile, Carpenter dropped to 2-3 in the promotion.

In his postfight interview, Ochoa proposed to his girlfriend, who was not in attendance.

Pre-fight notes

Chimaev is defending the middleweight title for the first time. The 32-year-old Chechen captured the belt with a dominant win over Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 last August, landing more than 500 strikes and completing 12 takedowns in the bout. Chimaev also holds wins against the likes of Robert Whittaker, Kamaru Usman, and Gilbert Burns, and he's looking to keep his undefeated 15-0 record intact.

Strickland, a former 185-pound champion, earned another shot at the title with a third-round TKO win over Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez in the UFC Houston main event in February. The 35-year-old American has alternated wins and losses in his last five Octagon appearances and is looking to put together his first winning streak since 2023.

In the UFC 328 co-main event, flyweight champion Joshua Van will defend his title for the first time against Tatsuro Taira.

Here's a look at the rest of the UFC 328 fight card:

Main card (Paramount+ at 9 p.m. ET)

• Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland
• Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira
• Alexander Volkov vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta
• Sean Brady vs. Joaquin Buckley
• King Green vs. Jeremy Stephens

Preliminary card (Paramount+ at 7 p.m. ET)

• Ateba Gautier vs. Ozzy Diaz
• Joel Alvarez vs. Yaroslav Amosov
• Grant Dawson vs. Mateusz Rebecki
• Jim Miller vs. Jared Gordon

Early preliminary card (Paramount+ at 5 p.m. ET)

• Roman Kopylov vs. Marco Tulio
• Pat Sabatini vs. William Gomis
• Baisangur Susurkaev vs. Djorden Santos
• Clayton Carpenter vs. Jose Ochoa

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