UFC Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland has called into question Khamzat Chimaev's eligibility for a title shot, expressing his skepticism during a UFC Fight Pass interview on October 22. Strickland, also known as “Tarzan,” acknowledged Chimaev’s knack for selling fights but questioned whether he had truly earned his place in the ring.
Strickland's Take on Chimaev
"For some reason, people either like him or don’t like him. I don’t know," Strickland mused. "To me, he’s just a paycheck. He sells a lot of fights. People pay to watch, but he hasn’t earned it.”
In the co-main event of UFC 294 last Saturday in Abu Dhabi, Chimaev secured a majority decision victory over former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Despite UFC CEO Dana White promoting this matchup as a title eliminator, Strickland disagreed with this stance.
“He hasn’t deserved it, but here we are. Give it to him. He sells a lot of fights. I’ll go fight the man for five rounds. But no, he’s not earned it. He doesn’t deserve it. Getting a decision with a welterweight off the couch is not earning it,” Strickland argued.
Strickland's Championship Reign
Strickland clinched the middleweight belt with a surprising unanimous decision victory over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 last September, one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. Currently, the champion boasts a three-fight winning streak.
Chimaev’s Return to Middleweight
Chimaev made his middleweight return at UFC 294, having previously competed at welterweight. On short notice, Usman ventured into middleweight to replace Paulo Costa, who had to withdraw from the event due to an elbow injury and subsequent surgery.
Prior to the bout with Usman, “Borz” had not fought in over a year. He claimed his last victory via submission against Kevin Holland in a 180-pound catchweight fight at UFC 279 in September 2022.
Both Chimaev and “The Nigerian Nightmare” are renowned for their wrestling skills, and many expected that Chimaev would have the size advantage on fight night. The fight ended with one judge scoring it a 28-28 draw, while the others leaned in favor of Chimaev with 29-28 scores.
A Past Training Incident
Strickland mentioned a past training incident where Khamzat misinterpreted something he said. "He sent me a message talking trash. And I said, ‘Chimaev, you misunderstood. But, I will see you tomorrow at 3 o’clock, gloves or no gloves, come turn up. And then guess what? No show. No answer. We talked it out, he said, ‘No, no, it’s okay, we talk about it,’” Strickland recounted.
In response to Strickland’s remarks, Chimaev took to social media to respond, saying, “You’re next, don’t worry. You know how quickly I can finish you.”
As the tension builds between these two fighters, fans eagerly await the potential face-off. Only time will tell if Chimaev's performance will be enough to silence Strickland's doubts and prove his worth in the ring.