Khamzat Chimaev claims he tapped out Sean Strickland multiple times during their training sessions.
On Saturday, ‘Borz’ will return to the Octagon for the first time in a year when he meets former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.
With a win, Chimaev could earn himself a shot at the division’s top prize—once reigning titleholder Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland settle a bit of business first.
Ahead of Chimaev’s upcoming clash with ‘The Reaper,’ Strickland made some disparaging remarks about the unbeaten UFC star, much of it surrounding Chimaev’s controversial relationship with Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov.
Though Chimaev has largely denied any issues with entering the United States, it has been long-rumored that his friendship with Kadyrov has kept him from competing stateside over the last couple of years.
Strickland also took a dig at Chimaev over a cryptocurrency scam ‘Borz’ was linked to earlier this year.
Khamzat Chimaev snaps back at ‘Tarzan’
Responding to Strickland’s rant, Chimaev made it clear that he has no beef with Strickland and even commended his work ethic in the gym. Of course, ‘Borz’ also mentioned that he repeatedly forced ‘Tarzan’ to tap out during their training sessions.
“Yeah, we sparred with him and trained with the guy.” Chimaev told Michael Bisping. “I don’t know. He’s been good when we’ve been in the gym, when I go back to Sweden he starts to tweet and do some things. He didn’t like when I said that I tapped him out [in training]. Yeah, [I tapped him out] many times bro.”
“[I got him with] chokes, and many other things. He’s good, he trains good, he’s a good fighter you know? Tough guy, tough dude. But, what I said are the things everyone see in the gym. Just ask his coach” (h/t BJPenn.com).
If Strickland reclaims the middleweight title in his yet-to-be-announced rematch against Dricus Du Plessis and Chimaev comes out on top against Whittaker this weekend, perhaps we could see the two middleweight warriors hash things out on MMA’s biggest stage in 2025.