UFC 328: Chimaev vs. Strickland - Odds, Predictions & Picks

Two title fights take center stage in Newark, New Jersey this weekend at UFC 328, headlined by a salivating Middleweight Championship bout between undefeated champion Khamzat Chimaev and former champ Sean Strickland.

• Chimaev is defending the Middleweight Championship for the first time after winning the title against Dricus du Plessis last August

• Flyweight champ Joshua Van squares off against Japanese fighter Tatsuro Taira as he defends the belt in the co-main event

You can find the latest UFC 328 odds and our predictions below followed by a preview of each fight.

UFC 328: Chimaev vs. Strickland - Odds

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UFC 328: Chimaev vs. Strickland - Picks & Predictions

Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland - Middleweight Division

• Our pick: Over 2.5 Rounds (-106) at FanDuel (Chimaev to win)

Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira - Flyweight Division

• Our pick: Tatsuro Taira by Submission (+210) at FanDuel

Alexander Volkov vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta - Heavyweight Division

• Our pick: Alexander Volkov by Points (+135) at FanDuel

Sean Brady vs. Joaquin Buckley - Welterweight Division

• Our pick: Joaquin Buckley by KO/TKO (+270) at FanDuel

King Green vs. Jeremy Stephens - Lightweight Division

• Our pick: King Green by Points (+125) at FanDuel

Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland - Middleweight Division

Former friendly training partners turned enemies will clash in the Octagon for a monumental battle for the UFC Middleweight Championship in New Jersey. The pair used to train together at Xtreme Couture but the relationship has since soured, adding an extra layer of intrigue to this matchup. The bookmakers have Chimaev, however, as the clear favorite, and he’s priced at -560 with FanDuel to win the fight.

Chimaev comfortably defeated Du Plessis at UFC 319 to win the Middleweight title by unanimous decision, showing how dominant his elite wrestling is. He’ll be going for the takedowns once again here, and Strickland will have to defend them well if he’s to have any chance at winning this fight.

“Tarzan” will need to use his striking to put pressure on Chimaev, and he did bounce back from a loss to Du Plessis at UFC 312 with a knockout win over Anthony Hernandez in his last bout. He’ll need to channel that same level of aggression he showed in that victory again on Saturday.

With a grappling style often compared to Khabib Nurmagomedov, the plan for Chimaev will be to smother and maul Strickland. Three of his last six victories have been by submission, which is an outcome that Strickland is yet to lose by throughout his 37-fight pro career.

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Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira - Flyweight Division

A six-fight win streak culminating with a TKO win over Alexandre Pantoja for the UFC Flyweight Championship sees Van coming in hot. However, Taira is listed as the -180 favorite with FanDuel for this bout, and has lost just one of his 19 pro fights in his career.

Van himself has just two losses on his record, and has gone 9-1 in the UFC. His only loss with the promotion was back in 2024 when he was finished in the third round by Charles Johnson. Since then, the 24-year-old has gone undefeated, picking up wins over the likes of Bruno Gustavo da Silva and Brandon Royval.

Taira did lose to Royval back in October 2024 by split decision but has bounced back with successive victories over Park Hyun-sung and former flyweight champ Brandon Moreno. Since entering the UFC in 2022, all but two of his eight wins have been finished early, with a mix of knockouts and submissions.

The impressive second-round stoppage for 26-year-old Taira over Moreno is likely what makes him the favorite over Van here, who was rather fortuitous with his TKO triumph over Pantoja. This one is a battle between Taira’s grappling and Van’s striking.

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Alexander Volkov vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta - Heavyweight Division

With a staggering 50 pro fights under his belt, Alexander Volkov has bags of experience to draw from when he goes up against Waldo Cortes-Acosta this Saturday. Volkov has lost just one of his past six fights, too, and he’s the -184 favorite with FanDuel.

Dominican fighter Cortes-Acosta has been slowly climbing the ranks in the heavyweight division and is currently the No. 4 ranked contender. That’s helped by a three-fight win streak, picking up knockout victories over Ante Delija, Shamil Gaziev and Derrick Lewis. “Salsa Boy” will look to lean on his powerful right hand, while his effective jab could also cause issues for his Russian opponent.

Volkov’s combination of kicks and punches could disrupt Cortes-Acosta’s rhythm and help keep him at distance. Even if Cortes-Acosta can get inside, Volkov has the chin to absorb the strikes. If “Salsa Boy” is to win this one, he’ll need to land a clean shot early doors.

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Sean Brady vs. Joaquin Buckley - Welterweight Division

Sean Brady has picked up some impressive wins in the UFC over the last few years, defeating the likes of Kelvin Gastelum, Gilbert Burns and former welterweight champ Leon Edwards. That’s most likely why he’s the -186 favorite with FanDuel on Saturday, but he will have to bounce back from a first-round knockout loss to Michael Morales back in November.

Philly fighter Brady is a known submission artist, and already has four submission wins under his belt with the promotion. That’s how he’s secured wins over Christian Aguilera, Jake Matthews, Gastelum and Edwards. However, his last two losses have been by TKO, so he’ll have to watch out for opponent Joaquin Buckley’s striking.

Buckley is in a similar position to Brady entering this bout. The 32-year-old was on a six-fight win streak up until the end of December 2024, but then lost to Kamaru Usman in his most recent fight last June. Buckley struggled against Usman’s strong wrestling in that one, something that Brady is well-versed in and who has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. “New Mansa” will be looking for an early knockout.

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King Green vs. Jeremy Stephens - Lightweight Division

Two UFC vets who have fought in more than 100 fights between them will open up the UFC 328 main card this weekend. King Green is the -350 favorite with FanDuel, and is on a two-fight win streak after defeating Lance Gibson Jr. and Daniel Zellhuber. He’s the better technical fighter for this bout and will want to keep this fight clean.

As for Stephens, he’s won just one of his last 10 fights and looks to be heading towards the end of his career. That said, he still has the power to finish anyone early, but he hasn’t won in the UFC since 2018 when he knocked out Josh Emmett. Expect Stephens to look to create chaos and to go on the offensive right from the off.

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How to Watch UFC 328: Chimaev vs. Strickland

• Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, United States

• When: Saturday, May 9

• Time: 9:00 PM ET

• How: Paramount+