Another brilliant numbered card has been showcased by the UFC as Newark fans left the Prudential Center with plenty of satisfaction. For more fight coverage, visit our UFC news and guides.
Seven finishes were produced from 13 bouts, with five by submission and two by KO/TKO, not to forget that a Fight of the Night (FOTN) bonus was awarded.
In the eye-catching title bouts, one champion successfully defended their championship, while the other lost out in a very competitive battle.
UFC 328 followed a packed build-up, with our full UFC 328 preview covering the main card before fight night.
Here is everything that happened at UFC 328, with details on the main and co-headliners in New Jersey.
Strickland defies the odds again
With a feisty build-up for the 185-pound championship, fans could not be more excited to witness a thrilling contest between two fierce competitors.
Khamzat Chimaev won the world title in his last fight, comfortably defeating Dricus Du Plessis by unanimous decision as the champion wanted to show dominance in Newark.
Sean Strickland bounced back from his last title loss with a third-round TKO victory over Anthony Hernandez, giving him the confidence to face one of the most feared fighters in the UFC.
Both men had histories of training sessions that led to bad blood, and the rivalry certainly cooled once the five-round war ended.
Chimaev began with his superb wrestling in the first round, trying to find a submission where possible, but the American defended well.
Strickland took advantage of the champion’s failed takedown attempt, gaining some control time in round two before out-striking ‘Borz’ in round three.
The UAE mixed martial artist looked to have taken round four with his striking accuracy, before round five ended with Strickland landing plenty of punches, despite Chimaev landing several takedowns.
After such a close contest, Strickland became the new UFC Middleweight Champion by split decision, making himself a two-time champion in the organisation, with BBC Sport reporting Strickland’s UFC 328 title win.
Van proves why he is a world champion
In the co-main event, Joshua Van retained the UFC Flyweight Championship with a fifth-round TKO of Tatsuro Taira, as covered in ESPN’s UFC 328 results and analysis. ESPN’s report also covers Strickland’s win and Van’s title defence.
Two well-rounded fighters met in the Octagon with the flyweight title on the line, but only Van left Newark as champion.
Joshua Van became the UFC Flyweight Champion after Alexandre Pantoja injured his elbow early in round one of their battle at UFC 323.
In the same event, Tatsuro Taira became the first fighter to stop Brandon Moreno as he won by second-round TKO, but the stoppage seemed premature from the referee.
The co-main event was guaranteed to be a banger, and there was no surprise that both men were awarded a FOTN bonus. You can also read our guide on UFC bonuses and fighter pay.
In the first round, Taira controlled the first round with repeated takedowns and top pressure.
Van turned the volume up in rounds two and three, knocking down the challenger twice as well as coming close to submitting the Japanese fighter.
While the #3 contender did improve in the fourth round, ‘The Fearless’ was just too good on the feet as he stopped ‘The Best’ by fifth-round TKO.
After earning his first title defence, Van will eye the rematch against former champion Alexandre Pantoja, which has fireworks written all over it.
Other Key Moments from UFC 328
Alexander Volkov earned back-to-back decision wins after going the distance to defeat Waldo Cortes-Acosta unanimously, hoping to fight for the heavyweight title next.
Sean Brady’s grappling was on another level as he dominated Joaquin Buckley on the ground to take a very convincing unanimous decision win.
King Green did not feel any weight disadvantage against Jeremy Stephens, submitting the fellow 39-year-old with a Rear-Naked Choke in the first round.
Ateba Gautier shone in the featured prelim with a second-round TKO victory against Ozzy Diaz as the Cameroonian is on a 10-fight win streak.
Yaroslav Amosov may have just become a future title challenger at welterweight after submitting Joel Alvarez with an Arm Triangle Choke in round two, as it was a brilliant performance from the Ukrainian.
Grant Dawson submitted Mateusz Rebecki late in round three with a Rear-Naked Choke to return to the win column.
At 42 years old, Jim Miller proved he still has it in the UFC after defeating Jared Gordon by first-round submission with a Guillotine Choke.
Roman Kopylov earned redemption in New Jersey as he went to the judges’ scorecards to earn a unanimous decision win against Marco Tulio.
Pat Sabatini extended his triumphant run to four victories after defeating William Gomis by unanimous decision.
Baisangur Susurkaev continues to be a surging prospect at 185 pounds as he submitted Djorden Santos with a Rear-Naked Choke in the third round.
Jose Ochoa won on the judges’ scorecards for the first time in his MMA career as he defeated Clayton Carpenter by unanimous decision.