The UFC has released the Countdown episode for this Saturday’s UFC 328 main event, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at both Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland as they prepare for their middleweight title fight in Newark, New Jersey.
The segment follows both champion and challenger through their final preparations for a bout that has generated extraordinary pre-fight tension, including threats of violence from both sides and a level of genuine animosity that has prompted the UFC to beef up security throughout fight week.
Chimaev enters the fight at 15-0 making his first title defense, while Strickland comes in at 30-7 as a heavy underdog attempting to become a two-time middleweight champion. The pair have a history stemming from time they spent together at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, with Strickland claiming he dominated Chimaev in those sessions and Chimaev flatly rejecting that account.
The Countdown is available on the UFC’s YouTube channel. UFC 328 takes place Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, streaming on Paramount+.
UFC 328 Main Event on Paramount+:
185 lbs.: Middleweight Champion Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland
UFC 328 Main Card on Paramount+ (9 p.m. ET):
125 lbs.: UFC Flyweight Champion Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira
265 lbs.: Alexander Volkov vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta
170 lbs.: Sean Brady vs. Joaquin Buckley
155 lbs.: King Green vs. Jeremy Stephens
UFC 328 ‘Prelims’ Card On Paramount+ (7 p.m. ET):
185 lbs.: Ateba Gautier vs. Osman Diaz
170 lbs.: Joel Alvarez vs. Yaroslav Amosov
155 lbs.: Grant Dawson vs. Mateusz Rebecki
155 lbs.: Jared Gordon vs. Jim Miller
UFC 328 ‘Prelims’ Card On Paramount+ (5 p.m. ET):
185 lbs.: Roman Kopylov vs. Marco Tulio
145 lbs.: William Gomis vs. Pat Sabatini
185 lbs.: Baisangur Susurkaev vs. Djorden Santos
125 lbs.: Clayton Carpenter vs. Jose Ochoa