The UFC president may be able to breathe a sigh of relief if Khamzat Chimaev’s recent remarks can be trusted.
Saturday will see the UFC middleweight champion defend his title for the first time since winning it from Dricus du Plessis in August 2025.
Chimaev will be challenged by Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 328, which takes place at Newark’s Prudential Center and features two title fights at the top of the card.
All eyes are on the headlining middleweight matchup, especially after the heat between champion and contender increased in recent weeks, sparking concern over an altercation ahead of fight night.
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Khamzat Chimaev says he is now too ‘professional’ to fight Sean Strickland before UFC 328
There’s evidently concern in the UFC about Saturday’s two headliners coming to blows during fight week. Dana White canceled Chimaev’s Paramount face-off with Strickland over fears the two rivals would get physical.
And worries grew shortly before fight week in New Jersey commenced after Strickland made a gun threat to Chimaev.
But while ‘Borz’ has not been afraid to get involved in altercations outside of the Octagon in the past, he’s assured the promotion that is no longer the case.
“That loudmouth talks too much, but nothing is going to happen,” Chimaev said in a recent video uploaded to Adam Zubayraev’s YouTube channel. “How are you supposed to fight with hundred people around?
“We’ll show our emotions in the cage. I came here to make money. I moved past that unprofessional stage a long time ago.
“I hope he steps in the cage, we both perform well, recover well too. Hopefully we’ll put a great fight for you guys,” he added.
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Let the madness begin IT'S #UFC328 FIGHT WEEK! pic.twitter.com/QQDDeoEZDm— UFC (@ufc) May 5, 2026
Chimaev has had altercations with Paulo Costa, Kevin Holland, and Nate Diaz in recent years.
On the other side, Strickland attacked Du Plessis in the crowd at UFC 296 after taking issue with the South African’s trash talk ahead of their title fight.
The UFC security will be on alert to ensure they prevent a repeat of that at Thursday’s press conference or Friday’s weigh-ins.