Khamzat Chimaev published video footage showing him sparring with former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland. The post provided limited details about when or where the sparring session took place, or what the context of their training together might be. Both fighters compete in the middleweight division, with Chimaev recently positioning himself as a top contender. The footage was shared across multiple platforms as noted by the channel.
Khamzat Chimaev took to social media on May 6 to post sparring footage alongside Sean Strickland, giving fans a glimpse of two of the middleweight division's most prominent figures working together in training.
Strickland, who carries the middleweight title at 35 years old, enters any gym session with an imposing résumé. The American out of Xtreme Couture holds a 31-7-0 professional record and has built his reputation on relentless volume striking, averaging 6.04 significant strikes landed per minute with a six-foot-one frame and a 76-inch reach. He competes out of an orthodox stance and has long been regarded as one of the division's most durable and technically disciplined competitors.
Chimaev, the number-one ranked middleweight contender and currently ranked tenth pound-for-pound, brings an entirely different profile to the mat. The 32-year-old, who represents the United Arab Emirates and trains out of Allstars Training Center in Sweden, carries a 15-1-0 record and is widely considered one of the most dangerous grapplers in the sport. Standing six-foot-two with a 75-inch reach, "Borz" averages 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes and attempts submissions at a rate of 1.8 per 15 minutes, while also connecting on 60 percent of his significant strike attempts.
Why it matters
- Strickland and Chimaev are both active middleweights, making any shared training footage relevant to the division's title picture
- The footage pairs the champion against the division's top-ranked contender, heightening interest in a potential future matchup
- Their contrasting styles — Strickland's high-volume striking versus Chimaev's elite grappling and takedown pressure — make the stylistic crossover notable
- No details about the date, location, or purpose of the session were provided alongside the post
