The little calm that could have surrounded the event, if there was any iota of tranquility left, was blown up around 5:00 p.m. on the afternoon of Newark, New Jersey. The Prudential Center, the pavilion where Pau Gasol made his debut as a player for the Los Angeles Lakers, was the scene of the press conference for UFC 328… and the first face to face of Khamzat Chimaev (15-0) and Sean Strickland (30-7). And it didn’t take both fighters even three seconds, even counted, to face each other.
The UFC returned, for one weekend, to the times of ‘trash talking’ and extreme rivalry. There were moments that were reminiscent of McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov. Local Newark police, numerous members of the UFC private security, the ‘main event’ fighters on the corners… an unusual context before an angry public that was clamoring for a ‘war’ in the octagon. and the ‘bad blood’ between Chimaev and Strickland gushed forth as soon as they both took the stand led by Dana White.
Joshua Van (16-2) and Tatsuro Taira (18-1), Also present as champion and candidate for the flyweight title, they went unnoticed. Chimaev and Strickland overshadowed the scene and were the kings of the stage. “I’m going to be your dad in the cage. Sit down, ***”, Chimaev began; “Damn Chechen ***. Go back to the country you fled from,” Strickland answered.
The messages came and went, unintelligible in many cases due to the shouts from the stands and how much the two fighters overlapped… but with racism, homophobia and the memory of childhood traumas emerging everywhere. “You need to get the hell out of America,” attacked Strickland, an American. “Who are you talking to? America loves me, brother, you’re a *** that no one loves. Only your dad loves you. He beats you up and I’m going to beat you up too,” the Russian responded, reminding Strickland of the abuse he suffered in his childhood from his father. “You’re making fun of child abuse, that’s why you’re a *** animal,” replied the Las Vegas-based fighter.
And so, message after message, attack after attack… as has not been seen in the UFC for a long time. Until, with Dana White riding the wave of enthusiasm of the fans present at the Prudential Center, The face to face came… and the inevitable happened: a kick from Chimaev to Strickland and a ‘brawl’ with the security scrambling over the fighters.
The UFC, meanwhile, smiled: No one will fight Saturday’s fight at UFC 328.
