Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland have shared contradictory accounts of their gym rivalry and training conflicts. Chimaev claims Strickland avoided training with him by switching between Xtreme Couture and the UFC PI whenever Chimaev showed up at either location, and that Strickland only started talking trash after Chimaev left town. Chimaev also stated he beat Strickland during gym sparring. Strickland counters that Chimaev took offense to a joke about Chechnya, sent threatening messages in their group chat, but then failed to show up when Strickland challenged him to meet in person. Strickland accused Chimaev of building his career on a false tough-guy image.
