Sean Strickland has risen to fame after winning the UFC Middleweight championship. The American entertains both inside and outside of the Octagon. Of course, he lost the belt after failing to beat Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297. In a recent interview, Khamzat Chimaev who is a fellow contender at 185 laid into the former champion.
Sean Strickland
Strickland has grown a solid following in recent years. The contender is a middleweight. He has a reputation for speaking his mind and not caring about others’ opinions. He defeated Israel Adesanya for the belt at UFC 297 in Australia. Yet, Strickland couldn’t defend his belt against his South African opponent. Strickland and Chimaev trained together. The unbeaten fighter had much to say about those sessions.
Khamzat Chimaev On Former Champion
Chimaev has risen to the title due to his impressive performances inside the Octagon. In a recent interview with ESPN, he gave his thoughts on Strickland and why he deserves a shot at the title.
Ask that guy (Strickland) who was beating him up every day in the gym,” Chimaev said. “How many times have I submitted that guy? How many times did I beat him up? He told his coach, ‘Please, tell the guy, man, go easy.’ And the guy said I went crazy with some guy who was 166 (pounds) or this sh*t. He’s lying, man, and he’s trying to say I am this, I am that. He’s trying to be some macho man. You are not a macho man!
“When I punched you hard, you went to your coach and said, ‘Please, tell this guy to go easy,'” Khamzat Chimaev continued. “No, f*ck off, man; what are you talking about? I beat you up. You were running from me. I’ve been in his home, his gym. Nobody ever comes to my gym and tries to beat me up… I went to all these guys, all these gyms. I’m not scared of anyone. I beat up everyone,I don’t remember losing sparring… I always win.”
Quotes via MMA News
There is a lot of tension between Strickland and Chimaev. One wonders if they will ever meet in the Octagon.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
