Khamzat Chimaev jokes he won't kill Sean Strickland as it would be haram

In an interview with Adam Zubairaev, Khamzat Chimaev addressed fan speculation about whether he would refuse to release a submission hold on Sean Strickland in their upcoming fight. When asked if security might need to intervene to separate them if he gets Strickland in a submission, Chimaev laughed and said he doesn't want to kill anyone because it would be haram (forbidden in Islam). He clarified that he has no intention of killing Strickland, noting that officials wouldn't allow him to do so anyway. Chimaev distinguished between street fighting, where such outcomes might occur, and cage fighting, which he emphasized is a sport with rules and safety measures.