UFC 328 sees two championship fights from Newark, NJ! The middleweight title is on the line  as Khamzat Chimaev battles former champion Sean Strickland and Joshua Van defends the Flyweight title against Tatsuro Taira this Saturday!

By: Will Brewer

Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland have engaged in a war of words that has added a layer of intensity to the fight that goes beyond the cage. However, this fight itself is a very interesting mix of styles that will see very high levels of MMA.

Chimaev is the reigning middleweight champion, winning the title from Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319. He has been dominant in his UFC run with victories over the likes of Robert Whitaker, Kamaru Usman, Kevin Holland, and Gilbert Burns.

The strength and grappling abilities that he possesses makes a tough fight for any opponent that stands across from him. He has been able to get early takedowns in every UFC fight and not many have been able to withstand the overwhelming pressure on the ground. In his first three fights, he was only hit three times. Chimaev could potentially do the same thing to Strickland the odds have Chimaev as a heavy favorite at -600.

Strickland is no stranger to being a heavy underdog in a title fight and shocking the world. He became middleweight champion by defeating Israel Adesanya at UFC 293, Adesanya was a -650 favorite. Strickland is coming off of an impressive TKO victory over the surging Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez. He was able to stuff takedowns, withstand Hernandez’s pressure, and make strikes count on the feet.

The success that Strickland had against Hernandez has given hope that he could replicate that against Khamzat. He is very defensively responsible on the feet, and rarely gets taken down. If he can stuff the early takedowns, keep this fight standing, and drag this fight into the later rounds, then this fight becomes very interesting.

The main event at UFC 328 has become one of the more anticipated fights of the year, and I expect this one to be BANANAS!

The co-main event at UFC 328 is a Flyweight Title bout as Joshua Van defends the title against Tatsuro Taira. The bout is the first title fight ever between two guys that were born in the 2000s. They both represent the new generation of MMA, and it is very impressive for these guys to be at this spot in their careers this soon.

Van became the flyweight champion at just 24 years old after defeating long-time champion Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 323. The title victory has been diminished by some due to the arm injury suffered by Pantoja, which made him unable to continue. Despite this, Van had been on an impressive run and he is currently on a six-fight winning streak. He has very sharp hands and is very quick on the feet. He is going to look to hurt Taira on the feet and avoid the takedowns. If he can win on Saturday, then the talk of him not being a real champion will have to quiet down.

Taira earned a title shot after defeating former champion Brandon Moreno by TKO at UFC 323. He has won eight of his nine fights in the UFC, and has finished six of those victories. He could be the best fighter ever from Japan and has a chance to be the first Japanese UFC champion ever. He will have to get Van on the ground and smother him just like he did against Moreno. He also has skills on the feet, it will be interesting to see how much he engages.

The featured bout of UFC 328 will have two top 5 heavyweights battling for a potential title shot as Alexander Volkov faces Waldo Cortes-Acosta. The main card is rounded out by a welterweight showdown between ranked contenders Sean Brady and Joaquin Buckley. Also, veterans King Green and Jeremy Stephens will face-off in the main card opener.

The prelims are solid as well!  Ateba Gautier returns against Osman Diaz in the featured prelim. My sleeper fight for this card is Grant Dawson against Mateusz Rebecki in a lightweight bout. Dawson has all the tools to be a champion in this division, and Rebecki always puts on exciting fights. I expect this to be a contender for fight of the night. Another sleeper on this card is Joel Alvarez against Yarslov Amosov. The prelims should be a great warmup for the main card.

Overall, UFC 328 is looking to be an amazing night of fights. Tune in this Saturday on Paramount +!

Main Card

Khamzat Chimaev (c) vs. Sean Strickland

Joshua Van (c) vs. Tatsuro Taira

Alexander Volkov vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Sean Brady vs. Joaquin Buckley

King Green vs. Jeremy Stephens

Prelims

Ateba Gautier vs. Osman Diaz

Joel Alvarez vs. Yaroslav Amosov

Grant Dawson vs. Mateuz Rebecki

Jim Miller vs. Jared Gordon

Early Prelims

Roman Kopylov vs. Marco Tulio

Pat Sabatini vs. William Gomis

Baisangur Susurkeav vs. Djorden Santos

Clayton Carpenter vs. Jose Ochoa

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