UFC 328 had the big-fight feel from the jump. Hall of Fame energy in the building for Chris Weidman, a co-main that delivered, and a main event everyone assumed would be Khamzat steamrolling another body. Robbie Fox was already hyped before the walkouts even started.
Weidman getting the Hall call set the tone for the night.
LFG Chris Weidman in the UFC Hall of Fame!!! Much deserved!!! #UFC328
Then came the co-main, and good lord. Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira put on an absolute war that had the whole timeline locked in. Taira somehow surviving a massive shot at the end of round 3 was the kind of sequence that makes you forget what fight you're even watching.
The moment Taira refused to go away and turned a fight into a Fight of the Year contender.
HUUUUGE shot from Van and Taira survives to the horn!! This just got interesting real quick. #UFC328
Van eventually got the stoppage in the 5th, with Taira protesting because of course he was — dude wanted to die in there. Hubbs called it the right call but admitted he wouldn't have minded another minute to see where it went. Great fight, great setup, and then the cage cleared for the main event everybody actually paid for.
The recap on a co-main that nearly stole the whole night.
Van stops Taira in the fifth!!! One of the best fights of the year for sure. Taira protesting the stoppage but he was taking a ton of damage in there. He just clearly wanted to go out on his shield. #UFC328
The walkouts were a circus. There were so many security guards in the octagon you literally couldn't see Khamzat from the other side, which is what happens when 2 guys threaten to murder each other on every promo. And then the bell rang and... Khamzat looked cooked. Like, immediately. Whatever that weight cut did to him, it did it bad.
The realization in real time that something was very off with the champ.
Is Khamzat completely gassed already?! I know the weight cut was tough but SHEEEESH what is this??? #UFC328
Strickland did what Strickland does — kept walking forward, ate some takedowns, refused to break, kept his hands up, and made it competitive on cards that absolutely should not have been competitive. Robbie had Khamzat winning 1, 3, and 4 with the close ones genuinely close. The judges saw it the other way. Split decision. And NEW.
The moment Strickland became a 2-time middleweight champion.
To Khamzat's credit, after all the pre-fight bad blood and the security-guard standoff at the staredown, he stuck around and wrapped the belt around Sean himself. Classy ending to a fight that, depending on who you ask, either underdelivered hard or was a fascinating grind. Dave Portnoy was firmly in the underdelivered camp.
El Pres weighing in the morning after, unimpressed.
Bob I stayed up 3 hours past my bedtime to watch this. The fight sucked. At least the one before it was worth it though
Hard to argue when you build it up as a murder threat and get 25 minutes of a gassed champ getting out-cardio'd by Sean Strickland. But that's the sport. Khamzat's aura took a real hit, Strickland is somehow champ again, and the middleweight division is officially upside down heading into the rest of the year.