Sean Strickland reacts to ‘coward’ Khamzat Chimaev kicking him before UFC 328

What did you expect?

In just two days (Sat., May 9, 2026), former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight champion Sean Strickland attempts to reclaim his title against reigning champion Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC 328 inside Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

During Thursday’s UFC 328 press conference (watch here), the bitter rivals spent nearly the entire 40-minute session trading insults and talking over one another — continuing the increasingly personal feud that has dominated the buildup to the fight.

Then came the faceoff.

As the two fighters squared up for the first time during fight week, tensions immediately boiled over when Chimaev launched a push kick toward Strickland, forcing security to rush the stage and separate the pair.

Check out another angle below:

Only minutes after the altercation, Strickland jumped on social media to respond.

“Exactly what I expected a coward to do,” Strickland wrote on X/Twitter.

Honestly, considering how heated this rivalry has become, it’s somewhat surprising things didn’t escalate even further. The two have spent weeks publicly threatening and insulting each other, with Strickland even controversially saying he would shoot Chimaev if things got out of hand during fight week.

Now, the rivals will have one final opportunity to come face-to-face during Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins before finally settling things inside the Octagon on Saturday night.

Will Strickland try to get some payback tomorrow?

For the latest UFC 328 news and notes checkout our comprehensive event archive right here.