While Sean Strickland is preparing for his second shot at UFC gold at UFC 312 this weekend, he’s been keen to trade barbs with middleweight boogeyman Khamzat Chimaev.
Their war of words has been ugly, with Strickland bashing Chimaev’s relationship with a Chechen dictator and Chimaev insulting Strickland’s relationship with his father. If Strickland defeats Du Plessis in their rematch at UFC 312, it’s looking ever more likely we’ll see Chimaev fight for the throne, especially considering Chimaev’s submission over Robert Whittaker at UFC 308.
However, one underrated aspect is their relationship on the mats. Strickland and Chimaev trained together at Xtreme Couture before Chimaev fought at UFC 279.
- READ MORE: Dricus du Plessis reflects on what he learned about himself in first Sean Strickland fight
Sean Strickland told rival Khamzat Chimaev to ‘Be nice . . . You’re better than everybody’ while training together
Filmed by Youcef Hollywood in August 2022, Chimaev is seen training with Strickland, Chris Curtis, and other Xtreme Couture fighters. ‘Borz’ would go on to fight Kevin Holland in one of the feature fights of UFC 279 after missing weight against Nate Diaz and forcing a reschedule.
Strickland is seen walking a gym member through sparring Chimaev.
“Be nice!” Strickland tells the fighter. “Have you sparred him? He gets a little bit — [Strickland turns to Chimaev] Be nice. Understand, you’re better than most of – you’re better than everybody. Don’t hurt people.”
Chimaev went on to maul Holland for a first-round submission and now looks to fight the winner of Strickland vs. Du Plessis after UFC 312.
Is Sean Strickland vs. Khamzat Chimaev realistic
One caveat concerning a fight between Chimaev and Strickland is Chimaev’s activity. Once one of the most active fighters on the roster, Chimaev’s recent career has been marred by inactivity. ‘Borz’ has fought twice since 2022, and while they are high-profile wins, it doesn’t bode well to have that level of activity from a potential UFC champion.
Chimaev may have a tune-up fight in anticipation of his middleweight title shot. This could be against Nassourdine Imavov or Caio Borralho; the latter would be a better choice since Imavov knocked out Israel Adesanya and maintains an active streak in the promotion.