The UFC middleweight division is heating up with two of its most polarizing figures, Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev, making headlines for his or her careers and escalating tensions. Strickland has been outspoken in his criticism of Chimaev, including gasoline to an attention-grabbing rivalry.
Sean Strickland Blasts Khamzat Chimaev
The US-born Sean Strickland has had a rollercoaster profession within the UFC. Recognized for his putting skill and controversial persona, Strickland shocked the MMA world by defeating Israel Adesanya to assert the middleweight title at UFC 293 in September 2023. He would later lose the crown to Dricus du Plessis and the 2 are set to rematch at UFC 312 on February 9, 2025.
‘Borz’ Khamzat Chimaev has been some of the dominant forces within the UFC since his debut. Undefeated in his profession, Chimaev’s most up-to-date victory got here towards former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 308. He’s extensively anticipated to problem the winner of the du Plessis vs. Strickland rematch for the title later this 12 months. However primarily declare that Chimaev deserved a title shot greater than Strickland did.
Strickland has additionally been vocal outdoors the Octagon, stirring controversy together with his unfiltered opinions. In a latest interview, the US-born athlete stated concerning Khamzat Chimaev:
“Look at the history of Chimaev, he flees his country and goes to Sweden and has this nice prosperous life with all the normal folks and then he goes back to Chechnya or wherever the f–k he’s from and he goes and gets balls deep with this dictator. The dictator is like ‘Here’s a G-wagon go train my kid and let my kid beat you up’ and Chimaev’s like ‘I signed up to be a prostitute, but you’re going too deep here’…now he has some fear for his life from this dictator, and he’s still owned….you have no dignity and you have no character.”
The animosity between Strickland and Chimaev extends past competitors. He criticized Chimaev for fleeing Chechnya for Sweden earlier than allegedly aligning himself with Kadyrov upon returning to Chechnya. Strickland accused him of being “owned” by the Chechen administration.
Together with his sights firmly set on championship gold, Khamzat Chimaev’s subsequent transfer will depend on the end result of UFC 312. For Strickland, his focus is reclaiming the middleweight title at UFC 312. A victory towards du Plessis would doubtless arrange a blockbuster battle towards Chimaev. Whether or not their variations are settled by way of phrases or fists stays to be seen.
