Sean Strickland did it again. Against all odds, in front of a sold-out Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Strickland walked into an unbeaten champion's house and walked out with the middleweight title. For the second time in his career, he upset the MMA world.
UFC 328 delivered on almost every level. Two title fights, seven finishes across 13 bouts, a record gate for the venue, and a co-main event that will be talked about for years. If you missed it, here is everything that happened.
The venue and the numbers
UFC 328 took place on May 9, 2026, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The arena was sold out, with an official attendance of 17,783 fans. The event generated a gate of $7,518,918, the highest in Prudential Center history, breaking the previous record set at UFC 302 in 2024. The UFC now holds the top two highest-grossing events in that arena's history.
Newark proved once again that New Jersey is one of the most reliable fight markets in the country. Dana White called the live numbers "monstrous," and the gate backed that up completely.
Main event: Strickland def. Chimaev — Split Decision
Sean Strickland is a two-time UFC middleweight champion, and the way he won both times looks almost identical. He came in as a heavy underdog, kept his composure over five rounds, outworked his opponent on the feet, and made just enough happen to earn two judges' nods.
Khamzat Chimaev entered UFC 328 unbeaten at 17-0 and was a massive favorite. Strickland dismantled that narrative round by round, using his movement, boxing, and relentless pace to neutralize Chimaev's physicality. The final scores were 48-47, 47-48, 48-47. It was close, it was contested, and the internet immediately split into camps. That is exactly what a great title fight is supposed to do.
Strickland improves to 31-7. Chimaev drops to 17-1 with the first loss of his career.
Co-main event: Van def. Taira — TKO, Round 5
If the main event was the headline, the co-main event was the best fight on the card, and it was not particularly close on that front.
Joshua Van defended the UFC flyweight title against Tatsuro Taira in a five-round war that earned both fighters Fight of the Night honors and $100,000 each. Taira controlled much of the fight with takedowns and grounded Van repeatedly. Van kept answering, kept finding ways back to his feet, and then in the fifth round found another gear entirely. He battered Taira on the feet and stopped him at the 1:32 mark with punches.
Van improves to 17-2. Taira drops to 18-2. Any remaining questions about Van's legitimacy as champion were answered in that fifth round.
Main card results
Alexander Volkov def. Waldo Cortes-Acosta — Unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Heavyweight bout. Volkov controlled the range and used his reach advantage effectively throughout three rounds to earn the judges' nod.
Sean Brady def. Joaquin Buckley — Unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-27)
Welterweight bout. Brady was dominant across all three rounds in a lopsided decision that was not really close despite Buckley's reputation for power.
King Green def. Jeremy Stephens — Submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:20
Catchweight (160 lb). Green wasted no time, taking Stephens down and locking up the rear-naked choke in the first round to end a veteran's night early.
Preliminary card results
Grant Dawson def. Mateusz Rebecki — Submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 4:42
Jim Miller def. Jared Gordon — Submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 3:29
Yaroslav Amosov def. Joel Alvarez — Submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 2, 1:13
Ateba Gautier def. Ozzy Diaz — KO (punches), Round 2, 1:10
Roman Kopylov def. Marco Tulio — Unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Early preliminary card results
Pat Sabatini def. William Gomis — Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Baisangur Susurkaev def. Djorden Santos — Technical submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 4:12
Fight bonuses
The UFC awarded the following bonuses at UFC 328:
Fight of the Night ($100,000 each): Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira. Their flyweight title war in the co-main event was an easy pick and one of the best title fights of the year.
Performance of the Night ($100,000): Jim Miller. The 42-year-old legend submitted Jared Gordon with a first-round guillotine choke in one of the night's most impressive moments. Miller also signed a new five-fight deal with the UFC following the win, adding another chapter to one of the sport's most remarkable careers.
Performance of the Night ($100,000): Yaroslav Amosov. The former Bellator champion locked up an arm-triangle choke on Joel Alvarez in the second round, making a strong statement in just his second UFC appearance.
Additionally, four fighters received $25,000 bonuses for finishes that did not earn the top awards.
The bigger picture
For New Mexicans who follow MMA closely, this card was a reminder of why the UFC's big numbered events still carry weight. Two legitimate title fights, both decided in the final round, and a co-main event that delivered the kind of finish people will clip and share for months.
Strickland being a two-time champion changes the middleweight picture in ways nobody really saw coming. Chimaev will be back, but the loss resets his entire trajectory. Van showing heart in the fifth round after being controlled for four cements his run as a legitimate champion rather than an accidental one.
UFC 328 was a very good night of fights. Newark showed up, the fighters showed out, and the gate numbers proved the event deserved every dollar.
Endnotes / References
Main event and co-main event results, scores, and context based on ESPN, CBS Sports, and Yahoo Sports UFC 328 coverage. Attendance and gate revenue figures from EssentiallySports and official UFC post-event release reporting 17,783 attendance and $7,518,918 gate, the highest in Prudential Center history. Fight bonus information based on MMA Weekly, Heavy.com, and Sherdog coverage of UFC 328 post-fight bonus announcements. Full undercard and preliminary results based on MMA Junkie, Wikipedia UFC 328 page, and GIDStats fight card data.
