Things have reached a boiling point in the middleweight division ahead of Saturday’s UFC 328 event in Newark, N.J., as newly minted UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev looks to handle unfinished business against former champion Sean Strickland in the headliner of a 13-fight card.

The friends-turned-enemies let the racial insults fly Thursday evening at the Prudential Center in front of a rambunctious crowd at the pre-fight press conference.

The UFC allowed both men to do the traditional ceremonial faceoff before security pulled both off the stage after Chimaev kicked Strickland in the leg, marking a dark climax to a chaotic week of separation before the fight.

Strickland (30-7 MMA) was visibly frustrated the entire press conference, screaming throughout at Chimaev (15-0 MMA) about his Russian heritage and how he’s now classified as fighting from the United Arab Emirates. Chimaev, in turn, invoked Strickland’s abusive father and childhood trauma.

“He’s going to be dead in two days,” Chimaev said. ” … I’ll be your daddy in the cage. I’ve been all day, every day, your daddy. You know about it. I’m your daddy. Listen to your daddy.”

UFC CEO Dana White said the rivalry has bad blood, which has made it a top-three rivalry in the promotion’s history.

Unlike Dricus du Plessis, who lost to Chimaev at UFC 319 after Chimaev used a dominant wrestling base, Strickland made one thing clear.

“They don’t want to watch a boring-ass f****** fight,” Strickland said. “I want you to wrestle. I will outwrestle you.”

Strickland described Chimaev’s sparring session against him, which has since resurfaced on social media, as a 2022 “warm-up match” that set Chimaev off.

Hostility aside, Chimaev enters the fight with four submission wins in nine UFC matches. Strickland earned the title shot off a third-round TKO defeat of Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston in February.

The fight is set as a five-rounder, marking Chimaev’s first title defense while Strickland attempts to regain the title after relinquishing it to du Plessis in January of 2024 at UFC 297.

The co-main event sees a re-booked flyweight title fight between Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira. The pair were supposed to meet at UFC 327 last month in Miami, Fla., but Van sustained an undisclosed minor injury that shifted the fight to this event.

Van (16-2 MMA) became the new UFC flyweight champion in December at UFC 323, as an arm injury to then-champion Alexandre Pantoja ended the fight after just 26 seconds. He is the first fighter born this century to become a UFC champion, while Taira (18-1 MMA) aims to be the first UFC champion from Japan with a win over Van, who is from Myanmar.

The main card gets underway on Paramount Plus at 9 p.m. ET.

Main card (subject to change)

— Main Event: (C) Khamzat Chimaev (15-0) vs. Sean Strickland (30-7) for UFC middleweight title

— Co-Main Event: (C) Joshua Van (16-2) vs. Tatsuro Taira (18-1) for UFC flyweight title

— Alexander Volkov (39-11) vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta (17-2), heavyweight

— Sean Brady (18-2) vs. Joaquin Buckley (21-7), welterweight

— King Green (34-17-1) vs. Jeremy Stephens (29-22), lightweight

–Field Level Media

The Cincinnati Reds were probably hoping to ease Nick Lodolo back into action after the left-hander missed the start of the season with a blister on his left index finger.

Instead, Lodolo will be asked to help snap Cincinnati’s seven-game losing streak when he takes the mound against the visiting Houston Astros on Friday.

The Reds are limping into the three-game series after being swept in four games by the Chicago Cubs. Cincinnati has lost eight of its past nine games to fall into last place in the National League Central.

“It’s a long season, and I know a lot of people say that,” Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson said. “And sometimes when things aren’t going well, it seems like nothing goes well during those stretches. But we’ve got to just regroup. We’ve just got to continue to battle and do what we do.”

Houston had an off day on Thursday after losing two of three at home to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Reds are hoping Lodolo can provide a boost to an injury-plagued rotation. Rhett Lowder exited Cincinnati’s 8-3 loss on Thursday due to right shoulder discomfort, and he could join Hunter Greene (bone chips in right elbow) and Brandon Williamson (left shoulder fatigue) on the injured list.

Lodolo, 28, is making his season debut after going 9-8 with a 3.33 ERA last season in 29 games (28 starts). He is making his first career appearance against Houston.

“I’m really excited,” Lodolo said. “I’ve just been kind of sitting here, trying to truck along slowly. I’m excited to get back in, get out there and compete and just be a part of it with the boys.”

The Astros will counter with right-hander Mike Burrows (1-4, 5.97 ERA), who allowed three runs over six innings in a 3-1 road loss to the Boston Red Sox on May 1.

Burrows, 26, has given up three runs or fewer in four of his first seven outings, but the Astros have gone 1-6 in his starts.

“It’s a humbling game,” Burrows said. “You can do everything right and still, stuff happens.”

Burrows is set to make his second career start against Cincinnati. He allowed four runs over five innings as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates in a no-decision vs. the Reds on Aug. 10, 2025.

The Astros are still processing the news that infielder Carlos Correa will have season-ending surgery to repair a tendon in his left ankle. He sustained the injury in the batting cage on Tuesday.

“Pretty devastating,” Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. said. “Such a big part of our clubhouse, team leader, such a great player. All the stuff he went through early in his career with the other ankle and just the way he’s been able to continue to fight back and these last few years really post and be healthy — he’s a special, special talent, and I feel awful for him.”

Isaac Paredes will receive regular playing time at third base with Correa sidelined, and shortstop Jeremy Pena (hamstring) is set to rejoin the lineup next week.

Paredes has hit safely in 13 of his past 16 games dating back to April 19, a span in which he is batting .345 (20-for-58) with three homers and nine RBIs. He has reached base safely in 11 consecutive games.

–Field Level Media

Hoping to prolong their newfound success under a fresh regime, the Philadelphia Phillies continue a six-game homestand on Friday with the series opener against the Colorado Rockies.

Despite a 12-1 loss to the Athletics on Thursday, the Phillies are 8-2 since firing manager Rob Thomson and promoting Don Mattingly to interim skipper. Philadelphia is vying to take advantage of a stretch that will see it play opponents with a losing record in four out of five series.

Phillies left-hander Jesus Luzardo (3-3, 5.09 ERA) gets the start on Friday, looking to continue a stretch of impressive outings. Following a slow start to the year, Luzardo has allowed just three runs total across his past three starts.

On Sunday, he picked up his second straight win, throwing 6 1/3 innings of two-run ball and striking out 10 in a 7-2 road victory over the Miami Marlins.

“(Luzardo) has been really good,” Mattingly said. “He hasn’t walked anybody in a couple games. He’s been in the strike zone, on the attack. … I didn’t see him (as) being bad early in the year. I just felt like there were some innings that got away. It was kind of the way everything was going for us early.”

Luzardo is 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA in six career appearances (four starts) against the Rockies. On April 4, he allowed one run across 6 2/3 frames and fanned a season-high 11 in a 2-1 win at Denver.

The Rockies will try to use a thrilling win to build momentum after a woeful start to the month of May. Colorado snapped a six-game losing streak by scoring the last six runs of a 6-2 victory over the visiting New York Mets on Thursday.

Jake McCarthy enters the road trip among the club’s hottest hitters. He belted two home runs and drove in seven runs across the past two games — including a tiebreaking grand slam in the eighth inning on Thursday.

“He’s been swinging the bat really well as of late,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said of McCarthy. “… Huge, huge homer to lift the boys after losing six in a row. You can’t put words together to show how big that was. Good for Jake. Happy for him.”

Colorado will go with Chase Dollander (3-2, 3.38 ERA) in the series opener, giving him just his second start of the season after he primarily has appeared behind openers. Dollander, 24, went 5 1/3 frames on Saturday, allowing six runs on eight hits in a 9-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves.

“I thought he was just a little behind all day,” Schaeffer said of Dollander following that outing. “I thought it was unusual, had some walks (a season-high three). The breaking ball, off-speed stuff, not enough strikes out of those.”

Dollander faced Philadelphia for the first time in his young career on April 4, taking the loss after allowing a one run in 4 1/3 innings in the 2-1 defeat to Luzardo and company.

–Field Level Media