UFC veteran Chael Sonnen has voiced strong support for middleweight contender Sean Strickland over Khamzat Chimaev, stating that he should be next in line for a title shot, rather than ‘Borz.’ Whereas the champion Dricus du Plessis has stated otherwise.
Sean Strickland Next, Not Khamzat Chimaev
In an interview with Helen Yee, the veteran shared his thoughts on the current landscape of the division, emphasizing that Strickland has earned his chance at the title through hard work and dedication. “Yes, what I want for Khamzat Chimaev is to see him fight Bo Nickal. Not for the title—he’ll get to the title eventually. But that’s Sean Strickland’s. That’s Sean Strickland’s opportunity. He’s been promised that; he earned that,” Chael Sonnen explained.
Sean Strickland’s determination to face the toughest opponents, including Khamzat Chimaev, has made a significant impression on Sonnen. The UFC veteran pointed out that Strickland was willing to fight Chimaev when few others dared, highlighting the courage he showed by stepping up. “Sean was willing to put the very title up against Chimaev. Sean went to training thinking he was gonna fight Chimaev, and he didn’t blink at all,” the veteran noted.
The athlete added that Strickland’s willingness to take on the challenge should be rewarded with a title shot. “There’s one guy that had the balls to go through Chimaev to get to a title, and that was Kamaru Usman, who didn’t get credit for it, and he should have.”
UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis is waiting at the top for a clear contender, both Strickland and Chimaev are in the conversation. Stillknocks’ du Plessis defeated Strickland to capture the title and then defended it against former champion Israel Adesanya. The US-born earned a five-round decision against Paulo Costa to bounce back from his loss. Meanwhile, Khamzat Chimaev is 14-0 with his most recent win being a quick submission against former titleholder Robert Whittaker.
Arman Tsarukyan, a UFC contender, lost a submission grappling match against the middleweight Chimaev, Sonnen observed:
“I loved it. Khamzat choked him out there. There was a clip that went around, and I wish it would have been the whole thing … They do that occasionally for entertainment. I loved every second of that—nobody loses, right? They laugh, they smile, chalk it up to a workout. I love when guys go and do that. And I wish I would have seen 20 minutes of them wrestling, not just that one guillotine. I loved it.”
Strickland’s and Chimaev remain a topic of great discussion among analysts, but for now, Chael Sonnen is firm in his stance: “Sean wins that showdown—it’s his shot.”