Khamzat Chimaev got into a spirited exchange with Sean Strickland ahead of Strickland’s fight week. As usual, Strickland mixes it up with fighters and media alike, but this time, it was over social media instead of in the press room.
During UFC 312’s media day, Strickland went after Chimaev for having a close relationship with Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov, who is under sanction from the US for human rights violations. Because of this, Chimaev remains unable to get a visa from the United States to fight. However, Dana White insists that the problem is solved after Chimaev’s move to the US-friendly United Arab Emirates.
“We need to talk about Mr. Chimaev,” Strickland said during media day. “Let’s talk about this f—— guy. I keep hearing ‘Chimaev this, Chimaev that’ but what is the history and facts say about Chimaev? You guys are media, you should know this.”
“Chimaev fled Chechnya with his family because of an oppressive, warlord dictator that killed people indiscriminately. No hate on him, it’s your country. He goes back to Chechnya, and he goes back to Chechnya because somebody wants to buy him a G-Wagon and he’s like, ‘Oh yeah! I’ll be that w—-. I’ll f—— do it, I’ll bend the knee for you man. I like f—— G-Wagons!”
Khamzat Chimaev fled Chechnya after the iron-fisted rise of Ramzan Kadyrov resulted in a bloody conflict that killed thousands during the Chechen separatist movement. He switched sides to the Russian government and rose to the presidency of the Chechen Republic, where he and his regime tortured and led forced disappearances of human rights activists. However, he remains close to the dictator and has even gone to the shooting range with him.
Strickland Continues, Khamzat Chimaev Responds
Strickland continued his rant against Chimaev at the press conference, referencing his Bitcoin controversy that almost landed him in legal trouble.
“Now he’s hiding out. And now what does he do? He has a Bitcoin f—— scam and he scams all of his fans.
“Let me tell you something, I had the same Bitcoin scam offer to me. It was like $100,000-$200,000. I was like, f— you, dude. I’m not going to scam my fans. I don’t need money that bad. But that’s what Chimaev did.”
Strickland continued, acknowledging that Chimaev is a great fighter. However, he continued to attack Chimaev’s relationship with Kadyrov.
“So yeah, Chimaev, you can fight,” Strickland said. “You can fight. You’ve got a beard. But let history record it as you sir, are a w—-. You fled a country, you went back, and you got buddy-buddy with a dictator, and you fled again. It doesn’t matter how good of a fighter you are, you are and will always be a f—— w—-.”
Khamzat Chimaev did not take kindly to what Strickland said at all. He brought up Strickland’s reflections of his past in an abusive family.
“Why are you baby crying all the time?” Chimaev posted. “Father didn’t give you love, or he showed his love to you too much?”
Chimaev added a picture of a younger Strickland, one where he said he was trying to “hide from a life of hate and anger.” Strickland remains outspoken about his past to help those going through similar situations.
Despite their grievances, the two are not scheduled to fight. If Strickland defeats Du Plessis and regains the middleweight title, it stands to reason that Khamzat Chimaev is next in line for the title. He defeated Robert Whittaker by first-round rear-naked choke in his last bout to stake his claim to the title shot.
What do you think of Strickland and Chimaev’s back-and-forth? Do you want to see a fight between the two? Let us know in the comments below.
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