Absolute Chaos Ahead of UFC 328! Chimaev Kicks Strickland Before the Fight of the Decade, Provocations Ensue, and One Video Stirs Up a Storm /VIDEO/

Tensions ahead of the highly anticipated UFC 328 spectacle have reached a fever pitch following a chaotic confrontation between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland during their official face-off, which took place after yesterday's press conference in Newark.

The headliners of UFC 328 have been locked in a fierce verbal battle for weeks, extending beyond typical "trash talk." High tensions were palpable throughout the entire conference, marked by mutual insults and provocations.

UFC President Dana White previously stated that the world's largest MMA organization was implementing additional security measures due to fears of a potential incident between the two fighters.

However, the Chechen (holding a UAE passport) and the American eventually had to stand face-to-face, and it was during this first staredown that the situation escalated.

Chimaev and Strickland stood at a distance, surrounded by numerous security personnel and armed police officers. At one point, "Borz" lost control and kicked his opponent. Strong security measures immediately intervened, separating the fighters to opposite sides.

It's safe to say that the claims by some media outlets and analysts, suggesting that the rivalry and "hype" surrounding the Chimaev vs. Strickland fight are among the biggest in the modern UFC era, appear increasingly well-founded as we approach the final showdown – scheduled for Saturday night into Sunday morning under the lights of the Prudential Center.

Following the altercation at the weigh-ins, Sean Strickland spoke out, labeling his rival a "coward."

"That's exactly what I expected the coward to do," the former champion and current challenger posted on his X profile.

Their upcoming clash is already shaping up to be one of the division's biggest rivalries. Insults, call-outs, and open animosity from both sides have long surpassed mere promotional theatrics. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that this isn't the first time these two have exchanged blows.

Several years ago, Chimaev visited "Xtreme Couture," where he had the opportunity to spar with Strickland. These training sessions have since become almost mythical among fans.

Ever since their joint photos from the gym surfaced in 2022, the public has been wondering what truly happened during those sparring sessions. For years, the impression has persisted, through various stories and testimonies from the gym, that the stand-up exchanges were quite even, perhaps even slightly favoring Strickland. On the other hand, when the action moved to grappling, multiple sources claimed that Chimaev managed to secure more than one submission or forced tap-out.

However, until now, there was no actual video to shed light on this story, even partially. That is, until now. On social media, Chimaev posted a short, 26-second clip showing a few moments of their stand-up sparring. It's not particularly long or rich in content, but the video does indeed show him hitting Strickland in the head on several occasions. The problem is that the audience apparently didn't find anything particularly spectacular about it.

He also added a mocking caption to the video.

With that message, he clearly intended to jab at Strickland over his earlier claims that Chimaev allegedly enjoys sparring with younger, weaker, or lower-ranked fighters in the gym. However, if the goal was to send a strong psychological message or further build his momentum before the big fight, the result seems to have gone in the complete opposite direction.

Indeed, a large portion of the audience reacted quite coldly, with some comments openly mocking him. Many argued that the video actually showed nothing that could be presented as serious dominance, but rather just a few ordinary seconds of work that revealed almost nothing significant.

In other words, instead of the video serving as additional proof that Strickland had problems with him before, some fans got the impression that Chimaev released too little and, in doing so, practically nothing impressive. And that's always risky when you boast with a gym video, especially against an opponent who has long claimed that he didn't break in those sparring sessions.

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