Elevated UFC 328 security couldn't stop verbal blows – or a kick in rowdy presser

NEWARK, N.J. – No question was asked before expletives started flowing through the airwaves at RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House, riling up a rowdy crowd in the weathered NHL practice arena.

If the tension wasn't palpable enough in the minutes leading up to the athletes' appearances from behind the curtain, the rare sight of armed police officers taking center stage for the UFC 328 pre-fight news conference seemed to set the scene well for what was to come.

There was no "Who's got the first question?" from UFC CEO Dana White before the babbling began.

For approximately 30 minutes, no question (and there were only a few of them) even mattered. It took next to nothing to get Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland to toss insults across the stage – all the way across the stage. Many of the words began with the letter "F," though other expletives were also popular.

"Top three all-time," White said when asked where Chimaev-Strickland ranked in the most heated UFC rivalries ever.

Rather than positioning them immediately next to the podium, the UFC elected to seat the UFC 328 headliners at opposite ends of the long tables, but time and space only proved to be temporary.

Sandwiched between the burly security guards and screaming middleweight rivals were flyweight champion Joshua Van and challenger Tatsuro Taira.

Initially scheduled for UFC 327, the bout has gone from hyped attraction to under-the-radar supporting act. The two soft-spoken and respectful fighters were a stark contrast to the headliners during the few moments they had to speak.

"Hey, according to my therapist, I'm a sociopath," White said, taking a jab at a comment made by Strickland days ago. "So why would I not want to have a faceoff here today?"

It proved to be a daring move. Six security guards, two police officers, and Dana White all had a hand, quite literally, in the faceoff between Chimaev and Strickland – and still a blow snuck through. Chimaev kicked Strickland in the groin area, leading to four men restraining each fighter and shoving them off stage.

Luckily, neither man appeared to walk away physically scathed. But there's still one faceoff to go, at Friday's ceremonial weigh-ins.

Will the security presence multiply? Will the distance between them? Or will all hell break loose? Time will only tell.

But what is for certain, whether endorsable or not, the rivalry here is real – perhaps too real. Undisputedly, bad blood generates big fight feels. Saturday's event at Prudential Center is shaping up to have an element of intensity not felt in quite some time.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Elevated UFC 328 security couldn't stop verbal blows – or a kick in rowdy presser