Best UFC 328 Odds, Picks, and Predictions: Chimaev Vs. Strickland

Making its return to Newark, New Jersey, the Prudential Center is set for a wild night of MMA action as UFC 328: Chimaev vs. Strickland is set to blow the roof off the venue. With no shortage of entertaining scraps set to unfold on Saturday night, you can crank the intensity level up a notch for each bout with our UFC 328 odds, picks, and predictions featured below.

Highlighted by not one, but two undisputed title fights, there’s never been a better time to get some skin in on the latest UFC 328 odds. That’s why, not only have we provided our expert picks and analysis for each fight on the main card, but we’ve also listed which UFC betting site is offering the best odds for each bet.

Don’t wait, score a knockout over the oddsmakers this weekend with your MMA bets, and win big with our best UFC 328 odds, picks, and predictions.

• King Green by Decision (+120)
• Joaquin Buckley by KO/TKO/DQ (+270)
• Alexander Volkov by Decision (+143)
• Joshua Van by Decision (+450)
• Khamzat Chimaev by Decision (+359)

King Green vs. Jeremy Stephens

Best Odds on Green to Win: -325 (Tooniebet)
Best Odds on Stephens to Win: +270 (BET99)

Kicking off the main card with a bout between heavy-hitting mainstays in the UFC lightweight division, King Green will look to continue his current win streak as he takes on Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens. Aging like fine wine in the latter stages of his MMA career, look for Green to remain hot as he scores a decision victory over Stepehens.

Entering this bout, coming off of back-to-back wins, including an emphatic knockout victory in an upset over Daniel Zellhuber, Green hasn’t lost an ounce of confidence inside the Octagon, even amidst a myriad of tough losses over his career. Having shared the cage with some of the best current lightweights in the world, including Mauricio Ruffy, Paddy Pimblett, and Jalin Turner, Green is sure to have no fear of Stephens who hasn’t looked himself since returning to the UFC.

A former contender at 155lbs, Stephens has bounced around the MMA world over the past five years, including stops in the PFL, MVP boxing, and Bareknuckle Fight Championships. While he was able to find success in some of the niche pockets of the combat sports world, his ability to succeed at the UFC level hasn’t been there, evident by his one-sided defeat suffered against Mason Jones in May of 2025.

With Stephens a shadow of his former self, and Green looking better than ever, the stage is set for a dominant display for the red corner. Bank on Green to pick apart Stephens with his superior hand speed, avoiding big shots from his opponent, and breaking him down over their 15-minute bout, en route to a unanimous decision victory at UFC 328.

Fight Prediction: Green to Win by Decision (+120 @ BetVictor)

Sean Brady vs. Joaquin Buckley

Best Odds on Brady to Win: -170 (bet365)
Best Odds on Buckley to Win: +140 (BET99)

In a battle between top welterweights, this will be a thrilling clash of styles as Sean Brady takes on Joaquin “New Mansa” Buckley. While there’s no debate that Brady has some of the best grappling at 170lbs, look for this to be rendered useless as the knockout power of Buckley proves too great as he racks up a devastating knockout win at UFC 328.

While he wasn’t able to get past former division great Kamaru Usman in his last trip to the Octagon, largely in part to the gap in grappling ability, Buckley still managed to make things interesting in their five-round main event, as he gradually began to stuff takedowns and operate on the feet. Brady is a great grappler in his own right, but he certainly doesn’t have the same strength and pedigree of Usman.

With Buckley having been able to best Usman at times in grappling exchanges, look for him to prevent takedown threats from Brady, instead forcing him into a standup affair, an area that Buckley has a major advantage in.

Hot off the heels of a first-round knockout loss to Michael Morales his last time out, Brady will now stand across the cage from a decorated knockout artist in Buckley, who’s won eight of his 11 UFC bouts by KO.

Expect Buckley to apply high pressure on Brady from the opening bell, utilizing his substantial three-inch reach advantage to keep Brady at a safe distance, unloading hard strikes early before shutting his opponent’s lights out, picking up the underdog victory in the process.

Fight Prediction: Buckley to Win by KO/TKO/DQ (+270 @ TonyBet)

Alexander Volkov vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Best Odds on Volkov to Win: -160 (BET99)
Best Odds on Cortes-Acosta to Win: +145 (BetVictor)

The big boys have come out to play at UFC 328 as top-ranked heavyweights Alexander “Drago” Volkov will square off against Waldo “Salsa Boy” Acosta-Cortes in a potential title eliminator matchup. While Acosta-Cortes has been red hot as of late, look for his momentum to be extinguished on Saturday night as Volkov outperforms him over 15 minutes en route to a decision victory.

A menacing 6’7 kickboxer out of Russia, Volkov has proven himself to be one of the most talented heavyweights in the UFC for the last decade. Since 2021, the only fighters who’ve managed to defeat Volkov have been former title holders Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane. With wins over top heavyweight contenders such as Sergei Pavlovich and Jailton Almeida, Volkov is primed to continue his success against Cortes-Acosta.

One of the top fighters of 2025, Cortes-Acosta was active and successful, racking up an impressive 4-1 record in 2025, before kicking off 2026 with a knockout over Derrick Lewis at UFC 324. Even amidst all of his recent success, WCA’s skillset still pales in comparison to Volkov’s.

Sporting a three-inch height and two-inch reach disadvantage, Cortes-Acosta will struggle to land against the Russian striker, instead getting picked apart by Volkov throughout the contest. In his UFC tenure, the best method of success to beating Volkov is to storm him out the gates, an ability that WCA doesn’t particularly possess as he’s a more methodical and calculated fighter.

Bank on Volkov to continue building his case for a heavyweight title shot as he shuts down the hottest contender in the division, winning this main card bout by decision at UFC 328.

Fight Prediction: Volkov to Win by Decision (+143 @ TonyBet)

Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira

Best Odds on Van to Win: +145 (bet365)
Best Odds on Taira to Win: -160 (BET99)

The first of two world title fights set for UFC 328, newly minted Flyweight Champion Joshua “The Fearless” Van will defend his gold against Japanese phenom, Tatsuro “The Best” Taira. In a collision course between two elite young fighters at 125lbs, look for Van to prove his credentials as Champion are legit, as he earns a hard-fought victory by decision over Taira.

In a clash of styles, Van’s top-tier boxing ability will be contrasted with Taira’s aggressive wrestling. While Taira is sure to push the pace and attempt to bring the fight to the canvas, look for Van to utilize his underrated takedown defence, forcing Taira into a firefight that he’s ill-equipped to handle.

Over 10 UFC fights, Van sports a sensational 81% takedown defence rate, showcasing that while he’s not primarily a grappler, he has the skills to avoid being held down. With wrestling success being the bulk of Taira’s game plan, without this edge, he’s sure to be picked apart on the feet by the reigning champ.

Taira has shown decent striking in his UFC tenure, but has struggled to stand-and-bang with elite strikers, evidenced in his five-round main event defeat suffered at the hands of former title challenger, Brandon Royval, the only loss of Taira’s career.

Look for Van to take grappling out of the equation in this co-main event clash, turning it into a standup battle, and edging out his opponent as he records a sensational underdog performance, securing his first title defence by way of decision over Taira for a juicy +450 payday.

Fight Prediction: Van to Win by Decision (+450 @ Tooniebet)

Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland

Best Odds on Chimaev to Win: -575 (bet365)
Best Odds on Strickland to Win: +425 (BetVictor)

Expect there to be plenty of fireworks on display in the main event of UFC 328 as two of the biggest personalities in the sport go head-to-head for the UFC Middleweight Championship as Khamzat “Borz” Chimaev defends his undisputed gold for the first time against former champion, Sean Strickland.

While Strickland may find a way to edge out his opponent in a war of words, once the Octagon door closes, nobody has been able to get the better of Chimaev. A world-class wrestler, Chimaev has built a career on unrelenting pressure and top control on the ground. In a record breaking (albeit boring) performance in his title victory over Dricus Du Plessis, Chimaev proved to the MMA world that he’s nearly impossible to stop when he gets his hands on his opponent.

For Strickland, this poses a major issue, as his skill set primarily relies on outlasting his opponent with forward pressure and footwork. While he does sport solid takedown defence, it’s not at the level required to stop Chimaev. For example, in his two losses to Du Plessis, Strickland was easily taken down in those bouts, and it’s safe to say that Chimaev is a far better grappler than DDP.

Strong enough on the ground to avoid being submitted, look for Strickland to fight till the end, suffering a one-sided defeat to Chimaev, who continues his reign as the top dog at 185lbs, and capping off your UFC 328 betting experience with a sizeable payday as he wins by decision.

Fight Prediction: Chimaev to Win by Decision (+359 @ TonyBet)