Matches To Make After UFC 328
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MAY 09: Sean Strickland of the United States exits the ring after his victory via split decision over Khamzat Chimaev of the United Arab Emirates ,not pictured, in a middleweight title bout during UFC 328 at the Prudential Center on May 09, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images) | Getty Images UFC 328 went down last night (Sat. , May 9, 2026) inside Prudential Center in Newark, N.
J. , featuring a Middleweight title fight that saw Sean Strickland upset Khamzat Chimaev via split-decision to reclaim the crown ( scorecards here ). In the co-main event of the evening, Flyweight champion Joshua Van defeated Tatsuro Taira via fifth-round TKO in what proved to be a back-and-forth brawl ( see it again here ).
Winner: Sean Strickland Who He Should Face Next: Nassourdine Imavov rematch Now that Strickland has sent the Boogeyman back to the closet, the new Middleweight champion of the world has his sights set on a rematch against Imavov, who has more than earned his first-ever shot at the strap. Strickland already has a win over “The Sniper,” defeating him three years ago via unanimous decision. Imavov is currently on a five-fight win streak and hasn’t tasted defeat since coming up short against “Tarzan.
” Strickland will take some time to heal his wounds first, and then he will attempt to secure his first-ever title defense. Winner: Joshua Van Who He Should Face Next: Alexandre Pantoja rematch Van successfully defended his 125-pound title for the first time after taking out Taira — who proved to be tough as nails — and now he, too, has a rematch on the horizon. It was a given that Pantoja would get the next shot regardless of the winner due to the fact that he lost the strap to Van after a fluke injury ended their title fight in the very first round at UFC 323.
Van will now have an opportunity to prove his worth once more with a more convincing win against Pantoja. Winner: Alexander Volkov Who He Should Face Next: Title shot (if he wants to wait) Volkov stopped Waldo Cortez-Acosta’s three-fight win streak to move to 6-1 in his last seven fights. He is already ranked No.