NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MAY 07: (L-R) Khamzat Chimaev of Russia kicks Sean Strickland during a face off on stage at the UFC 328 press conference at Prudential Center on May 07, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey.

Watch: Chimaev kicks Strickland to cap chaotic UFC 328 presser

7 hours ago

Ed Mulholland / UFC / Getty

Warning: Videos contain coarse language

The UFC 328 press conference featuring Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland on Thursday unfolded exactly as most would've predicted.

During the faceoff at the end of Thursday's event, the pair needed to be separated after UFC middleweight champion Chimaev kicked Strickland.

THIS WAS INEVITABLE 👀@KChimaev vs @SStricklandMMA

[ #UFC328 | MAY 9 | 9pmET | LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/Rm4OSEWSa7
— UFC (@ufc) May 7, 2026

Tempers appeared bound to boil over in New Jersey as Chimaev and Strickland have created a tense rivalry ahead of Saturday's blockbuster fight. With tensions high, one reporter even asked UFC CEO Dana White earlier in the presser whether he planned to let the two fighters face off at the end.

"Absolutely," White responded.

White also ranked the Chimaev-Strickland rivalry among the "top three" in UFC history.

“According to my therapist, I’m a sociopath. Why would I not have a face off?” — Dana White

Dana also says this is a top 3 most heated rivalry in UFC history #UFC328 pic.twitter.com/YFsA5g07ZC
— Uncrowned (@uncrownedcombat) May 7, 2026

The promotion came in prepared for the press conference, notably loading up on security and seating Chimaev and Strickland farther apart.

Well that didn’t take long 😅

Khamzat and Strickland started going at each other before Dana White could even open up the presser #UFC328 pic.twitter.com/h1R1YrbjU4
— Uncrowned (@uncrownedcombat) May 7, 2026