Overview
- The middleweight title bout, set for Saturday at Newark’s Prudential Center, matches unbeaten champion Khamzat Chimaev against former titleholder Sean Strickland with betting lines heavily favoring Chimaev.
- After Strickland said in a media scrum he would shoot Chimaev and his entourage if confronted, the UFC boosted security, canceled Paramount+ promotional faceoffs, and placed the teams in separate hotels.
- Chimaev’s coaches told his entourage not to start any trouble during fight week, with Brendan Allen saying anyone who stirs an incident would risk serious fallout and the fight itself.
- Joe Rogan called Strickland a live underdog, but Robert Whittaker and a slate of active pros picked Chimaev, reflecting odds that rate the champion’s wrestling and pace as the key edge.
- The card also includes a flyweight title fight between Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira on Paramount+, billed as the first UFC title bout between fighters born in the 2000s.