A lot was made of the feud between Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev leading into their UFC 328 title clash. The consensus was that the two middleweights shared a true hatred for one another, causing the heat to boil over during the face-offs on Wednesday.
Ahead of Saturday night, the two men at the top of the billing have exchanged several wild comments, with concerning threats being pushed from both sides. Despite the remarks, Strickland insisted that, if any physical altercation were to unfold before the octagon door closed behind them, Chimaev would be to blame. With fight night fast approaching, that claim proved to be correct.
Throughout the press conference, Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland were at each other’s throats. Verbal shots were traded, and tensions were high as they stepped forward for the UFC’s customary face-offs. While fans of the sport have become accustomed to controversial moments during those face-offs, what unfolded on Wednesday may be a first for the company.
Not only did Chimaev land a kick on Strickland as the two traded barbs on stage, but he allegedly hit the California native in the nuts, according to Dana White.
“I think in the nuts,” White said regarding the brief altercation that ensued between Chimaev and Strickland. “The security guy from that angle got in the way of the kick.”
“I had his arms. I had Khamzat’s arms, and I didn’t think he’d kick him. I didn’t think he was going to do anything. I thought it was going to be a lot of yelling back and forth, so, yeah. That is the most we will fail this whole weekend. That’s the most we will fail.”
Listen to Dana White’s views on the encounter between UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev and his challenger Sean Strickland below.
Dana White just said Khamzat Chimaev kicked Sean Strickland in the nuts 😬
(via @Ninadrama) pic.twitter.com/IU9LZQRHKH
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) May 8, 2026