Sean Strickland spends day in Newport Beach near Chimaev's gym

Sean Strickland was in Newport Beach, California, the same location where Khamzat Chimaev is currently training, and deliberately tagged his location throughout the day hoping to encounter Chimaev or his team. Strickland stated he doesn't usually reveal his location publicly but did so in response to Chimaev allegedly saying he would try to kill Strickland on the street. Strickland emphasized that he was only ten minutes from Chimaev's gym and that fighters training with Chimaev follow him on social media and would have seen his stories. In a video message, Strickland called out Chimaev for not showing up and said he was the last person in America that Chimaev should be making threats toward. The incident appears to be an escalation of their ongoing rivalry.