Sean Strickland has regained the UFC middleweight championship after defeating Khamzat Chimaev via split decision in the main event of UFC 328 at the Prudential Centre in Newark, a fight that stayed competitive but avoided the intense pre-fight hostility between the two fighters.

Strickland won on two judges’ scorecards 48-47, while Chimaev was awarded the fight on the third, also 48-47, in front of 17,783 spectators.

Neither fighter was seriously hurt during the contest, which remained cautious and tactical across five rounds.

The fight followed weeks of heated build-up marked by threats and controversial remarks.

Security was increased around the event after Strickland made inflammatory comments during the promotion, while Chimaev responded with threats of his own.

Despite this, both fighters tapped gloves before the bout and did not escalate tensions inside the cage.

Strickland, 35, had previously held the middleweight title in 2023 before losing it in his first defence.

After his victory, he acknowledged that he had “gone too far” in his pre-fight comments and apologised for offensive remarks made during the promotion.

Chimaev suffered the first defeat of his professional career, ending a 16-fight unbeaten run. He later embraced Strickland inside the octagon after the result was announced.

In the co-main event, Joshua Van successfully defended his UFC flyweight title with a fifth-round stoppage victory over Tatsuro Taira.

Van controlled the fight with sustained striking, eventually forcing a stoppage at 1:32 of the final round to extend his winning streak to seven.

Taira, who entered the bout aiming to become Japan’s first UFC champion, was overwhelmed by Van’s pressure and volume over five rounds.

Elsewhere on the main card, Sean Brady defeated Joaquin Buckley by unanimous decision, King Green secured a submission win over Jeremy Stephens, and Alexander Volkov also earned a unanimous decision victory against Waldo Cortes-Acosta.

The event also featured a notable emotional moment as Jim Miller recorded a first-round submission win over Jared Gordon.

The veteran fighter returned after a 13-month break following his teenage son’s recovery from cancer, and extended his UFC records for total fights and career wins.