‘UFC 328 will go down in Newark, New Jersey, and the promotion has finally announced the first main card fight. At the Prudential Center Arena, two top heavyweight contenders will collide inside the Octagon. By the looks of it, two of Tom Aspinall’s top rivals will battle each other, with the fight potentially eliminating one of them from the immediate title scenario.

Reports confirm that the UFC has booked the #2-ranked heavyweight Alexander Volkov to face the #5-ranked Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC 328 on May 9, 2026, just a month before the promotion stages its ambitious White House card on June 14.

“EXCLUSIVE: I managed to confirm that Alexander Volkov signed a contract to face Waldo Cortes-Acosta on May 9, UFC 328,” prominent journalist Léo Walker Guimaraes posted on X, confirming the fruition of the fight.

For a while, Volkov has been lurking around the heavyweight title picture, trying to get his hands on the gold belt. But every time, the Russian has fallen short a step because of a crucial loss. A similar situation unfolded when ‘Drago’ controversially lost in his rematch against Ciryl Gane at UFC 310. However, he quickly worked his way back into the heavyweight title picture by defeating former UFC heavyweight Jailton Almeida at UFC 321.

On the other hand, Waldo Cortes-Acosta is enjoying a golden run in his UFC career. The Dominican has won four of his last five fights, the latest being a statement victory over former title challenger Derrick Lewis at UFC 324. To be fair, “Salsa Boy” actually called out Volkov for an interim title fight, which would have made sense given the current heavyweight scenario. He got the fight he wanted, but there is no belt on the line. Still, that does not mean this matchup lacks title implications.

Currently, Dana White and the promotion are looking for a possible solution to crown either an interim or potentially an undisputed champion, as Tom Aspinall remains sidelined while treating his damaged eye. So far, Alex Pereira’s potential involvement, possibly facing either Ciryl Gane for three belts or Jon Jones at the White House card, seems to be one of the options under consideration. Once the promotion sorts that out, the next logical step could involve the winner of the UFC 328 heavyweight bout. 

Now that the first main card fight for UFC 328 has finally been announced, let’s take a look at the other three fights already scheduled for the card.

UFC 328: Other announced fights for Newark, New Jersey

Other than the heavyweight bout, the UFC has announced three fights so far for the event, all on the prelims. Alongside Volkov and Cortes-Acosta’s violent clash, fans will also look forward to another explosive matchup in the middleweight division.

UFC’s new knockout machine, Ateba Gautier, will make his return to the Octagon against Ozzy Diaz on the prelims of UFC 328. So far, the Cameroonian has left everybody impressed with his four-fight winning streak, all coming by devastating knockouts. In Newark, he’ll face Diaz, who has a similar level of experience and is also a slick striker. But even though there’s always a chance of a huge upset, many fans believe the UFC has placed relatively easier competition in Gautier’s path.

Further down the card, Roman Kopylov is set to return in Newark, looking to fix his two-fight losing streak. The Russian had a stellar opportunity to move closer to a title shot against Paulo Costa at UFC 318, but the Brazilian delivered a vintage performance as Kopylov lost via unanimous decision. Following that defeat, Gregory Rodrigues handed him another loss, putting a halt to his winning momentum.

Now, the 34-year-old will look to bounce back against Marco Tulio, who is coming off a brutal spinning knockout against Christian Leroy Duncan. For a veteran like Kopylov, this seems like a solid chance to get back in the win column. But can he overcome the challenge of Tulio at UFC 328? We’ll find out soon.

Lastly, another exciting flyweight bout between Clayton Carpenter and Jose Ochoa is set to take place on the card and will likely kick off the event. That said, what do you think about the UFC 328 lineup so far? Let us know in the comments section below.