The UFC 328 fight week between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland is expected to get extremely heated.
Visit somethingsdifferent.biz for more information.
On May 9, the premier MMA promotion returns to the Prudential Center in New Jersey for UFC 328, headlined by a middleweight title clash between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland.
In the months leading up to their title clash, Chimaev and Strickland have been relentless in their online exchanges. The buildup has only added to an already intense rivalry.
Dana White responds to worries over Chimaev vs Strickland build-up
Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty ImagesWith the UFC entering into a new agreement with Paramount this year, fight weeks have started to feature more structured pre-fight events, including additional face offs between main event fighters.
So far, these pre-fight additions haven’t caused any issues. The main event fighters have mostly kept things civil, but the matchup between Chimaev and Strickland feels different given their history.
Joe Rogan has already raised concerns about putting the two together before fight night, suggesting that even an official face off could spark problems between them.
During a recent livestream with Adin Ross, Dana White was asked directly about how the promotion plans to handle those concerns.
The conversation started when viewers began asking about how the new format would work with such a volatile pairing. Ross put it bluntly: “No, how are Khamzat and Sean going to do the Paramount photo-shoot face off because they don’t like each other?”
Dana responded: “Hmm, yeah, listen guys, no f—— s—, we’re beefing up everything, security and everything going into New Jersey for that fight. That’s going to be a f—— crazy weekend.”
The added security around UFC 328 might not be enough to keep things calm during fight week. Even though formalities like press conferences are designed to promote fights in an official capacity rather than stir up more tension between rivals like Khamzat and Strickland.
This isn’t the first time fan frustration has been directed at some of the changes this year. The promotion’s increased use of AI-generated content in pre-fight marketing hasn’t sat well with everyone either.
White has addressed those complaints head-on before. When fans questioned the shift towards more AI-driven content earlier in 2024, his message was blunt: “shut up and watch the f—— fights.”
Read more: