UFC Boosts Security as Chimaev–Strickland Feud Escalates Before May 9 Title Fight

Overview

• The middleweight title fight headlines UFC 328 on Saturday, May 9 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
• Sean Strickland escalated the rhetoric with a media claim he would shoot Khamzat Chimaev if confronted and with an X post calling him a 'third world dog.'
• UFC CEO Dana White said the promotion is beefing up security and limiting contact between the two camps during fight week.
• Khamzat Chimaev dismissed the threats as clown talk and mocked Strickland on X by posting a childhood photo and calling him a 'girl.'
• The bad blood traces to 2022 training at Xtreme Couture, where UFC Countdown footage shows Strickland telling Chimaev to be nice and not hurt people.