Khamzat Chimaev recently took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to declare that he plans to defeat UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland in his next outing.
At UFC 294 this past weekend, ‘Borz’ emerged victorious by a majority decision against Kamaru Usman in their middleweight title eliminator. Chimaev was certainly pushed to his limit and absorbed quite a lot of punishment on the feet, but his wrestling proved to be the difference on the night.
Strickland wasn’t impressed with Chimaev’s performance, however; and he thinks the Chechen doesn’t deserve a title shot at this moment in time.
“He doesn’t f****** deserve it but here we are,” Strickland said. “Give it to him. He sells a lot of fights. I’ll go f****** fight the man for five rounds. But no, he has not earned it. He doesn’t f****** deserve it and getting a decision with a welterweight off the couch is not f****** earning it.”
In response, Chimaev insinuated that Strickland is scared since he’s aware of the potential consequences.
“You are next, don’t worry. You know how fast I can finish you,” Chimaev said on X in response to Strickland’s statement.
@SStricklandMMA you are next don’t worry you know haw fast I can finish you 🤝🤣🦾
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) October 23, 2023
It’s worth mentioning that Chimaev and Strickland have trained with each other in the past, so they may be well aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
Interestingly, Dricus Du Plessis is being ignored as far as title contention is concerned. The South African is currently on an impressive winning streak, with his most recent wins coming against Robert Whittaker, Derek Brunson, and Darren Till.
Chimaev, on the other hand, is yet to face a big name in the division.
Does Khamzat Chimaev deserve to fight for the UFC middleweight title?
