It’s Sean Strickland fight week, and as usual, the pre-fight antics are in full swing. This time, ‘Tarzan’ isn’t trading barbs with his scheduled opponent.
Khamzat ‘Borz’ Chimaev is on the verge of a UFC middleweight title shot, and he’s letting Sean Strickland know he has him in his sights. Chimaev submitted Robert Whittaker at UFC 308, and he’s the bona fide mandatory challenger for the winner of Strickland vs. Dricus du Plessis at UFC 312 in the eyes of many MMA fans.
Despite this, Chimaev has warranted a collective cringe from the MMA community as he’s taken a low blow at Strickland ahead of his fight at UFC 312.
Khamzat Chimaev weaponizes childhood trauma in nasty insult towards Sean Strickland ahead of UFC 312
Strickland sparked controversy this fight week by commenting on Chimaev’s relationship with Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov. Strickland blasted Chimaev for his contentious interactions with Kadyrov, capping off by calling him a ‘f—— w—-.’
Hitting back at Strickland, Chimaev took to X, where he slammed Strickland for ‘crying all the time’ and weaponized Strickland’s past reflections on his troubled childhood to insult him.
“Why are you baby crying all the time?” Chimaev wrote. “Father didn’t give you love, or he showed his love to you too much?”
Chimaev attached an old picture of a younger Strickland, a complete 180 from his current rugged buzzcut appearance. Strickland ripped into this picture of his younger self in October 2024, remarking that he was trying to “hide from a life of hate and anger.”
Will Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev fight
Strickland contends for the middleweight throne at UFC 312. With a victory, he’s more than likely to face Chimaev for his first title defense. Otherwise, the fight may not materialize soon. If Strickland loses, he’ll likely face off against Nassourdine Imavov, who knocked out Israel Adesanya at UFC Saudi Arabia, or Caio Borralho, who defeated Jared Cannonier in August 2024.
Chimaev and Strickland have trained together before, where Strickland can be seen telling Chimaev he’s “better than everyone else.” With that in mind and the trash talk considered, a Strickland-Chimaev fight is very enticing.