The infamous sparring footage has finally arrived … kind of.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev is just days away from his first title defense against bitter rival Sean Strickland in the UFC 328 main event this weekend (Sat., May 9, 2026) inside Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Now, with fight week officially underway, Chimaev has added even more fuel to the fire
.On Tuesday (May 5, 2026), “Borz” released footage from his long-rumored sparring session
with Strickland — something both men have referenced for months while trading insults in interviews and online.
The clip, shared across Chimaev’s social media platforms, mostly features a handful of striking exchanges between the two Middleweights. There’s no grappling footage, no domination, and no clear answer as to who got the better of the session.
Which immediately raises the question: Is Chimaev holding back the wrestling footage?
Check it out below:
Strickland has previously claimed he more than held his own during the sparring session, though he admitted Chimaev submitted him while they were specifically drilling grappling. Chimaev, meanwhile, has repeatedly suggested the former champion struggled badly and implied the rounds weren’t competitive.
Based on the footage released, though, you’d never know any of that.
So what exactly was the point of posting it?
Then again, with the actual fight just four days away, maybe none of the sparring footage really matters anymore.
UFC 328 media day takes place tomorrow, meaning Strickland will almost certainly have something to say about the leak — along with whatever other unfiltered chaos comes with it.
For the latest UFC 328 fight card and rumors click here.
