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UFC veteran says Sean Strickland Should Be Next in Line for the Title, Not Khamzat Chimaev

UFC veteran says Sean Strickland Should Be Next in Line for the Title, Not Khamzat Chimaev UFC veteran Chael Sonnen has voiced strong support for middleweight contender Sean Strickland over Khamzat Chimaev, stating that he…

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.”

Watch: Song Yadong and Helen Yee throwdown in Table Tennis as he preps for January bout against Umar Nurmagomedov

UFC athlete Song Yadong left the octagon behind and picked up the table tennis paddle as he battles interviewer…

UFC athlete Song Yadong left the octagon behind and picked up the table tennis paddle as he battles interviewer Helen Yee at the table. The Chinese-born ‘The Kung Fu Kid’ also explained his game plan for facing Umar Nurmagomedov in January.

Song Yadong and Helen Yee in Ping Pong

Below, you can watch the full clip of Helen Yee and Song Yadong playing table tennis.

Song Yadong vs. Umar Nurmagomedov

The 26-year-old Song Yadong is competing in one of the most competitive weight classes in the UFC; bantamweight. At the top stands the champion Merab Dvalishvili who just earned UFC gold from Sean O’Malley. China’s Yadong has losses to the top-ranked Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen but has ten wins in the organization.

It was rumored that he was to be fighting Olympian and former champion Henry Cejudo next. Yadong explained why this fight was called off. Speaking with Helen Yee he said, “Henry got injured. I don’t know what happened, but he didn’t want to fight me.”

Instead, it sounds as though Yadong will face the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov, cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov, in January. The Chinese-born athlete explained, “I’ll fight in January, no matter who it is. I’ll make a good show for everyone … He’s a good fighter, but I believe I can beat him … I think it will be a tough fight. He’s hard to finish, but I believe I’ll win.”

UFC 300’s Jamahal Hill insists Alex Pereira is not the fighter you think he is: ‘I’m superior to him everywhere’

Alex Pereira is overrated. That is according to Jamahal Hill, the man who is set to challenge ‘Poatan’ for…

Alex Pereira is overrated.

That is according to Jamahal Hill, the man who is set to challenge ‘Poatan’ for the light heavyweight championship at UFC 300 on April 13.

“Everybody got this perception of [Alex] and he is good,” Hill said in an interview with Helen Yee. “I’ll give him that, but he’s not like ya’ll think he is. I’m like that. He’s not like that. So we’re gonna see who’s really like that. I see myself as superior everywhere. Superior striker, grappler, clinch worker, thinker. I’m superior to him everywhere in this game and I’m gonna show the levels to that.”

It will be Hill’s first fight since winning the 205-pound crown with a dominant decision victory over Alex Pereira’s close friend and mentor, Glover Teixeira, in January 2023. Tragically, ‘Sweet Dreams’ never had the opportunity to defend the title after suffering a ruptured Achilles the following summer. With an extended layoff looming, Hill vacated the title and paved the way for Pereira to claim it via a second-round knockout of Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 late last year.

Thus far, ‘Poatan’ has two wins in the light heavyweight, including his divisional debut against Jan Blachowicz and the title-winning performance against Prochazka.

“He won,” Hill said when asked for his thoughts on Pereira’s two showings at 205. “Was it something that blew me away or otherworldly? Not even close.”

Jamahal Hill is 6-1 inside the Octagon — the same record owned by Alex Pereira — with notable wins over Johnny Walker, Thiago Santos, and the aforementioned Glover Teixeira.

Sean O’Malley Targets December 11 For Octagon Return

Sean O’Malley is ready to return to the octagon and already has a date in mind. O’Malley has won back-to-back fights after suffering his first career loss at the hands of Marlon Vera. Most recently, he picked apart late replacement Kris Moutinho to open the main card of UFC 264 in July. ‘Sugar’ was in […]

Sean O’Malley is ready to return to the octagon and already has a date in mind.

O’Malley has won back-to-back fights after suffering his first career loss at the hands of Marlon Vera. Most recently, he picked apart late replacement Kris Moutinho to open the main card of UFC 264 in July.

‘Sugar’ was in Cleveland, Ohio, over the weekend to catch the Tyron Woodley-Jake Paul boxing match in person. Prior to the fight, he sat down with Helen Yee to give his thoughts on the bout as well as what he has planned next. Towards the end of the interview, O’Malley gave the timeline for when fans can expect to see him compete next.

“December 11 is the plan,” O’Malley said. “My hand is still very sore, very bruised. Not very bruised, I was thinking it was feeling quite a bit better, and then I punched Tim’s hand today at the seminar and it flared up on me a little bit. It hurts, still pretty sore. Hopefully December 11 will be the next one. Las Vegas, T-Mobile Arena. (Against) who? I don’t know. Doesn’t really matter.”

While he doesn’t have any particular opponent in mind, he did have words for everyone who has taken to calling him out. Particularly, he took umbrage with T.J Dillashaw and Dominick Cruz, who were both offered grappling matches against O’Malley but turned them down. Dillashaw would even go on to say that he didn’t think O’Malley would ever be a world champion because of the holes in his game.

“They’re just calling me out in the dumbest ways,” O’Malley said. “It’s just embarrassing how they’re calling me out. It’s kind of pathetic. But it shows that they’re following. But their callouts… You can’t expect much from guys that are 5’4”.”

Who do you want to see Sean O’Malley face on December 11? Let us know!