Story perspectives

Chimaev-Strickland Title Bout Set, Stephens Misses Weight, Forfeits 30%

5/9/2026

Summary

Chimaev Title Confirmation

UFC 328 weigh-ins confirmed the middleweight title fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland at 185 lbs.
Jeremy Stephens missed weight at 160 lbs, four pounds over King Green’s limit, and will forfeit 30 percent of his UFC 328 purse to Green and lose bonus eligibility.
The 13-fight card also features flyweight champion Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira, heavyweight Alexander Volkov vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta, and runs prelims at 5 pm ET/2 pm PT with the main card at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT on Paramount Plus.

Summary

Stephens UFC Return

Jeremy Stephens secured his UFC return by emailing Dana White (UFC CEO) after a four-year hiatus.
Stephens says the UFC’s $100,000 bonuses are too low despite its $1.1 billion revenue and the Reebok/Venum deal that ended personal sponsor ties.
A loss to King Green would give Stephens the UFC record for most defeats at 19.
At 39, Stephens fights to provide financial freedom for his family and because he loves MMA.

Summary

King Green Stacking

King Green says he is racing to stack fights before turning 40.
He will accept any UFC-assigned opponent, taking whoever is put in front of him.
He prefers a quick recovery over LASIK because a delay would hurt his schedule.
The BMF belt, created by his brother Nate Diaz, led the 34-17-1 veteran to target the title and return it to his brother.

History

Historical Context

On December 2 2014 Dana White announced a six-year exclusive Reebok outfitting deal that began in July 2015, directing most uniform revenue to fighters but banning personal sponsors. Because the UFC historically allocates only 16-19% of its revenue to athletes, fighters such as Jeremy Stephens and King Green now contest weight-limit and bonus policies, reviving the 2014 sponsorship controversy.

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Chimaev Title Confirmation

UFC 328 weigh-ins confirmed the middleweight title fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland at 185 lbs.
Jeremy Stephens missed weight at 160 lbs, four pounds over King Green’s limit, and will forfeit 30 percent of his UFC 328 purse to Green and lose bonus eligibility.
The 13-fight card also features flyweight champion Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira, heavyweight Alexander Volkov vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta, and runs prelims at 5 pm ET/2 pm PT with the main card at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT on Paramount Plus.

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