Filled with bad blood, a grudge match between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland is all set to go down as the headliner bout of UFC 328. But it is not the only one on the card. With almost the entire undercard getting stacked up, the promotion has seemingly closed the card with a matchup between two of the hardcore lightweight fighters.

MMA Orbit recently tweeted on X, “Grant Dawson will take on Mateusz Rebecki at #UFC328 on May 9th.”

Grant Dawson is a veteran in the UFC lightweight division, who has had a promising career in the leading MMA promotion. Apart from his losses to King Green and Manuel Torres, and a draw against Ricky Glenn, Dawson has 11 wins in his UFC record. Meanwhile, his opponent, Mateusz Rebecki, is still adjusting to the elite level of MMA.

Now, when we talk about their fighting styles, both have distinctive areas of expertise. Dawson’s game plan revolves around his wrestling pedigree, as he prefers to take opponents to the mat. On the other hand, Rebecki relies on a striking-heavy style. Take his bout against Myktybek Orolbai, for example.

The Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, hosting UFC 308, was the venue. And apart from Ilia Topuria’s clinical third-round knockout win over Max Holloway, Rebecki and Orolbai also received praise. Both of them even received the ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus reward. So, when we talk about Rebecki, fans will be expecting another show-stealing performance. However, the fight between Dawson and Rebecki is just one of those matchups on the UFC 328 card, which promises to entertain the spectators.

What are the other “banger” matchups at UFC 328?

The depth of the UFC 328 card, from the prelims to the main event, is drawing comparisons to UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden, which was lauded for having high-stakes, compelling matchups throughout the night.

UFC 328 will go down on May 9 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The main event sees Khamzat Chimaev making his first middleweight title defense against Sean Strickland. But the undercard features several other notable matchups.

Starting with the co-main event, two standout heavyweight fighters on the current roster will grab attention. Alexander Volkov will take on knockout artist Waldo Cortes-Acosta. For those unaware, Cortes-Acosta has five out of his nine UFC wins via KO/TKO. So, yes, expect another striking-heavy bout.

Additionally, welterweight stars Sean Brady and Joaquin Buckley would also fight on the UFC 328 card after getting specially rescheduled from the UFC Vegas 116 headliner. Before that, the fans will also get a treat to watch former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz return against the same opponent as his last bout, Bogdan Guskov, in a rematch of their majority draw. Surely, this time, Blachowicz and Guskov wouldn’t want to let judges decide their fight outcome.

Now, to open the main card, UFC 328 will host two veterans scrapping against each other.

Remember Conor McGregor‘s infamous ‘Who the f**k is that guy?’ line in September 2016? McGregor had said those words to Jeremy Stephens at the UFC 205 press conference. Yes, Stephens is set to make his second appearance after making his UFC return in 2025. In front of him will be King Green, who is riding on a two-fight winning streak.

Well, that’s about the UFC 328 card featuring a stacked lineup. However, the preliminary card is also seemingly promising. The likes of Ateba Gautier (10-1), Ozzy Diaz (10-3), Baisangur Susurkaev (11-0), and Joel Alvarez (23-3) are some of the exciting fighters who will look to secure wins on May 9.

On that note, what do you think of the UFC 328 card? Let us know in the comments below!