Sean Strickland wants the next middleweight title shot.
Whether or not he gets it — as promised — all depends on how much Khamzat Chimaev influenced UFC CEO Dana White at the UFC 308 pay-per-view (PPV) event last weekend in Abu Dhabi. “Borz” submitted former champion Robert Whittaker to land at No. 3 in the official UFC rankings.
“Tarzan” remains unimpressed.
“I’m next in line, it’s been said and it’s been written,” Strickland texted Chael Sonnen, who read the messages aloud on his YouTube show with Daniel Cormier. “After I beat Dricus up, Chimaev can step up. And to the point that Chimaev is a contender, I welcome that, but I have Dricus next. The man who scammed his fans, became friends with a dictator, and had to flee his homeland while staying on the run, needs to tighten his own leash up a little bit. Hey Chimaev, sit down, and wait your turn.”
Both Sonnen and Cormier marveled at the “nasty” delivery.
Strickland lost the middleweight title to Dricus Du Plessis but claims “dirty” judges robbed him at UFC 297. His follow-up victory over Paulo Costa was nothing to write home about but at the time, it seemed to be enough to put “Tarzan” back into a championship main event — even though Du Plessis would rather fight Chimaev.
Hopefully we can get some answers sooner, rather than later.