Hamzat Chimaev dismissed Sean Strickland's threats of armed confrontation, saying he doesn't believe Strickland actually wants a real street fight or would already be dead. Chimaev noted the Muslim community presence in New Jersey and suggested Strickland wouldn't walk around with a weapon there. Regarding their past sparring sessions, Chimaev claimed Strickland couldn't do anything against him even when Chimaev fought at welterweight. Chimaev stated he has grown bigger and hungrier since then, calling Strickland "white American chicken" and saying he looks forward to their eventual fight.
Hamzat Chimaev has fired back at Sean Strickland's threats of armed confrontation, dismissing the middleweight champion's bravado and claiming he dominated Strickland in their past sparring sessions.
Chimaev made clear he does not believe Strickland genuinely wants a real street fight, going as far as to say Strickland would already be dead if that were the case. He also pointed to the Muslim community's presence in New Jersey, suggesting Strickland would not be walking around with a weapon in that environment.
Sean Strickland, the reigning UFC middleweight champion, carries a record of 31 wins and 7 losses. The 35-year-old American, who trains out of Xtreme Couture, stands six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach and fights out of an orthodox stance. Strickland is one of the division's most active strikers, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute with 42 percent accuracy.
Chimaev, for his part, leaned heavily on the memory of their shared time in the gym. He claimed that even when he was competing at welterweight — a weight class below middleweight — Strickland was unable to do anything against him in sparring. He stated that he has grown bigger and hungrier since those sessions, and referred to Strickland as "white American chicken" while expressing genuine eagerness for an eventual fight between the two.
Why it matters
- Chimaev is publicly positioning himself as a future middleweight title challenger, with his callout of the reigning champion raising the stakes of any potential booking.
- If Chimaev's sparring claims hold weight, a style matchup pitting his wrestling and pressure against Strickland's high-volume striking would be a compelling divisional test.
- The verbal escalation, now moving well beyond standard fight promotion, keeps both men prominent in the middleweight conversation without an official bout agreement in place.
