Another month, another Sean Strickland rant.
Khamzat Chimaev makes his highly anticipated return (fingers crossed) at UFC 308 later this month (Sat., Oct. 26, 2024) when he takes on No. 3 ranked Middleweight Robert Whittaker in a pivotal fight for the division. The two were supposed to collide in June; however, Chimaev pulled out a few days before the fight.
Yesterday (Oct. 8, 2024), the No. 1 ranked Middleweight contender Strickland randomly trashed Chimaev on Instagram while defending the American company that he works for, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
“I love how the world just overlooks this guy’s past,” Sean Strickland wrote. “Builds a life in Sweden, goes and becomes best friends with an absolute monster who pretty much bought him like a W. Then when the leash got too tight he fled to the Middle East. You should not be allowed in this country. You sold your soul to a terrorist dictator. You are not compatible with America. Thank God we don’t do drone strikes in that part of the sand pit…Sick of the UFC forgetting it’s an American company.”
Strickland is referring to Chimaev’s close relationship with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, which is preventing him from fighting in America.
Strickland and Chimaev have thrown shots at each other in the past, as the two have sparred before at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, Nevada, and each of them has their own idea of how it went.
Strickland’s latest brutal rant could be fueling his ongoing Chimaev rivalry, or he could still be worried that Russians are taking over the UFC.
Nevertheless, depending on how UFC 308 plays out, Strickland could find himself fighting Chimaev sooner rather than later. For now, Strickland is still positioned to rematch Dricus Du Plessis next (just not in South Africa).