Khamzat Chimaev has earned himself a UFC Middleweight title bout against Sean Strickland after defeating Kamaru Usman at UFC 294. The Chechen-born fighter took to X to remind Strickland that he was coming for the title.
Khamzat Chimaev takes the majority decision!!
He leaves #UFC294 with the victory over Kamaru Usman at #UFC294 pic.twitter.com/EjxZT6XiBA
— UFC (@ufc) October 21, 2023
Strickland won the UFC Middleweight championship in September after he defeated Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. The American was the surprise package of the bout as no one had expected him to pull off the win. He dominated Adesanya and won via a unanimous decision.
On the other hand, Chimaev was set to face Paulo Costa at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi. Just days before the bout, Costa revealed that he had undergone surgery on his elbow not too long ago. After a lot of speculation, UFC ultimately removed him from the bout and instated Welterweight fighter Usman. The former UFC Welterweight champion agreed to move up to Middleweight to fight Chimaev.
It was decided that the winner of the bout was to face Strickland for the title. Chimaev, after a dominating first round, struggled the next two rounds. However, he convinced two judges out of the three which led to him winning the bout via a majority decision.
@SStricklandMMA you are next don’t worry you know haw fast I can finish you 🤝🤣🦾
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) October 23, 2023
In his post-match interview, he cited a hand injury for his struggles. UFC CEO Dana White also hoped for him to be okay so that the title bout could take place soon. Chimaev, on the other hand, does seem to be okay as he posted on X calling out Strickland. He wrote, “@SStricklandMMA you are next don’t worry you know haw [how] fast I can finish you.”
The fight between Chimaev and Strickland has not been scheduled yet. However, Strickland feels that Chimaev does not even deserve the title fight after scraping past a Welterweight.
Sean Strickland does not think Khamzat Chimaev deserves the UFC Middleweight title bout
On UFC Fight Pass, Strickland provided his views on Chimaev and their upcoming title bout. “The only thing I like about Chimaev is that he sells fights,” Strickland said on UFC Fight Pass. “For some reason, people f*cking like him or don’t like him. I don’t know. To me, he’s a f*cking paycheck. He sells a lot of fights. People pay to watch, but he f*cking hasn’t earned it.
“He hasn’t f*cking deserved it, but here we are. Give it to him. He sells a lot of fights. I’ll go fight the f*cking man for five rounds. But no, he’s not earned it. He doesn’t f*cking deserve it. Getting a decision with a welterweight off the couch is not f*king earning it.”
Well, it looks like @SStricklandMMA is ready for a matchup with Khamzat! #UFC294
Didn’t hold back and we wouldn’t expect him to. #ExtraRounds from the @PBR Teams Championship. pic.twitter.com/uuQPRVkOzD
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) October 22, 2023
Chimaev’s post on X after such comments from Strickland makes it seem like the contender feels the champion is afraid. However, Strickland’s alleged fear could be justified. Chimaev has an undefeated record of 13-0 in professional MMA. He will be a handful to deal with for Strickland.