Sean Strickland Sparks Debate With Bold Accusation About Khamzat Chimaev

Khamzat Chimaev enters Saturday night's UFC 328 as a heavy favorite heading into his middleweight title defense against Sean Strickland, but controversy has already emerged in the buildup to the bout.

The fight marks Chimaev's first title defense since winning the middleweight championship over Dricus du Plessis last August, and he reportedly made the 185-pound limit - though that has not stopped speculation and conspiracy claims about the legitimacy of the weigh-in, especially given his past struggles to make weight.

Strickland was among the first to publicly question whether Chimaev truly hit the mark, but insisted he would still go through with the fight regardless.

"He didn't make weight, we all seen it… No one in the world believes you made weight,” Strickland said. “I would've fought him regardless… but the entire world knows you didn't [expletive] make weight."

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Fans quickly reacted online, fueling controversy ahead of UFC 328 and the matchup between Chimaev and Strickland, with many questioning the legitimacy of Chimaev's weigh-in.

One fan wrote, "He definitely missed weight 100% they just can't afford to call the fight off."

Another added, "UFC knows this is the biggest fight they've had in the Paramount era and they can't cancel it."

Others expressed frustration with the situation, with one saying, "Pretty sad that we have an asterisk built into this fight before it even begins. The UFC is becoming such a joke."

Another comment claimed, "We ALL saw it. Scale stopped at 187+ and they still gave him 185 - UFC rigging in 4K."

One more fan wrote, "I'm with Sean Strickland completely. It was rigged for Chimaev to avoid even more embarrassment for him."

Despite the debate, the fight is still scheduled to take place Saturday night on a stacked card at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

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This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 1:08 PM.