Sean Strickland has responded to Khamzat Chimaev’s recent comments about a potential street fight, challenging the UFC middleweight champion to act on his words ahead of their title bout on May 9.
The two are set to headline UFC 328 in Newark, New Jersey, in a highly anticipated grudge match, with tensions escalating after Chimaev suggested in a vlog that while he would not intend serious harm in the Octagon, “Out on the street, that’s different. If he dies, he dies,” according to the video.
Strickland reacted on social media after seeing the comments, claiming the pair were in close proximity while training in California. “I generally don’t post my location or my whereabouts, I don’t really drop pins where I’m at, I just don’t like to,” Strickland said. “But I was on Instagram and some stupid shit popped up in my feed about Chimaev saying you try to fight me, you’ll kill me in the streets.”
He added that he had been near Chimaev’s gym at the time and made his whereabouts visible online. “Dude, I was, like, 10 minutes from your gym. I was dropping tags and locations all day on my Instagram. Your homies that train with you follow me, they were seeing my story. You had to know where I was at,” Strickland said.
Continuing his response, Strickland suggested he had expected Chimaev to follow through. “Ten minutes from your gym, bro, I was probably right down the street with you,” he said. “Part of me thought you’d show up, but as we all know with Costa, when he pulled your card, ‘Hold me back, hold me back.’ I’m like the last dude in America you should threaten, but I guess if you don’t show up, you don’t show up.”
Chimaev enters the bout with an unbeaten professional record of 15-0, including a title-winning victory over Dricus du Plessis, while also maintaining ongoing rivalries with fighters with a range of fighters across numerous weight divisions.
The pair will now settle their dispute inside the octagon at UFC 328, with Strickland aiming to reclaim the middleweight title and Chimaev seeking his first successful defence.
