UFC President Dana White is taking significant steps to ensure that UFC 328, scheduled for next month at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, remains free of conflict. The event features a highly anticipated middleweight title defense where Khamzat Chimaev will face his former training partner and current rival, Sean Strickland.
The animosity between Chimaev and Strickland has escalated, particularly with Strickland’s provocative remarks targeting Chimaev and the Muslim community. This has fueled Chimaev’s desire for retribution against the former American champion.
In anticipation of potential issues during fight week, White has announced a series of precautions. Speaking to Spinnin Backfist, he revealed that Chimaev and Strickland will be housed in separate hotels. Additionally, security and law enforcement presence will be significantly increased throughout the week to mitigate any risk of altercations.
White expressed concerns about the newly introduced fight-week face-offs, suggesting they are particularly ill-advised for this volatile matchup. He stated, “No bullshit, we’re gonna beef up security and law enforcement. All of it. Hotels, bumping into each other, all kinds of stuff. [Separate hotels] definitely gonna happen.”
English Translation:
UFC President Dana White is implementing stringent security measures and logistical changes for UFC 328 to prevent potential confrontations between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland due to their intense rivalry.
At UFC 328 next month, live from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Khamzat Chimaev is set to make his first defense of the middleweight championship. “Borz” will go head-to-head with his former training partner who has become a fierce rival, Sean Strickland.
Given the existing animosity between the two fighters, tensions have only heightened as “Tarzan” continues to embrace a villainous persona. His controversial statements about Chimaev and the Muslim community have further inflamed the situation, and the Chechen-born Emirati is eager to make the former American UFC champion pay for his words.
Dana White on Measures for UFC 328 Fight Week to Prevent Chaos
For UFC 328, Dana White has been strongly advised to implement extremely tight security to prevent any brawls between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland.
Earlier today, during an interview with Spinnin Backfist, White confirmed that Chimaev and Strickland will be staying in separate hotels during fight week. He also plans to enhance security and take all necessary actions to ensure matters do not escalate. White believes the new fight-week face-off format, introduced after the Paramount deal, is a poor decision for the Chimaev-Strickland bout.
“I hope somebody told [Paramount that it is a bad idea to put Chimaev and Strickland in the same room before the bout for the faceoff]. No bullshit, we’re gonna beef up security and law enforcement. All of it. Hotels, bumping into each other, all kinds of stuff. [Separate hotels] definitely gonna happen.”
