UFC President Dana White is prioritizing safety and order for UFC 328, implementing extensive measures to avoid any physical altercations between middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev and challenger Sean Strickland.
The upcoming UFC 328 event, scheduled to take place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, features a highly anticipated middleweight title defense. Khamzat Chimaev, nicknamed “Borz,” will face his former training partner and now bitter rival, Sean Strickland.
The animosity between the two fighters has reached a fever pitch, exacerbated by Strickland’s provocative behavior and controversial statements directed at Chimaev and the Muslim community. Chimaev, originally from Chechnya and based in the UAE, is reportedly motivated to make Strickland pay for his remarks in the Octagon.
Given the volatile nature of this matchup, there are significant concerns about potential clashes during fight week. To mitigate these risks, UFC President Dana White is taking extraordinary precautions.
Dana White Details UFC 328 Security and Logistics to Ensure a Peaceful Fight Week
White has been advised to enforce heightened security protocols to prevent any brawls between Chimaev and Strickland throughout the UFC 328 fight week. In a recent interview with Spinnin Backfist, White confirmed that the fighters will be housed in separate hotels.
He also indicated plans to significantly increase security presence and implement other necessary measures to maintain control. White expressed his belief that the new pre-fight face-off format, introduced following the Paramount deal, could be particularly problematic for the Chimaev-Strickland confrontation.
“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 bullsh*t, 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.”
These proactive steps underscore the UFC’s commitment to ensuring the integrity and safety of the event, especially when dealing with a rivalry as intense as the one between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland.
