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Sean Strickland isn't mincing words when it comes to his feud with Khamzat Chimaev, declaring he's ready to settle things violently, both inside and outside the octagon.
The two are set to headline UFC 328 next Saturday in Newark, New Jersey, where the undefeated Chimaev will make his first middleweight title defense. Much of the pre-fight tension revolves around what might happen if Chimaev and Strickland cross paths before fight night. Chimaev chillingly stated, “if he dies, he dies,” should they meet on the street, while Strickland warned him, “I am the last person in America you should threaten.”
At a media scrum on Wednesday, Strickland reiterated that a direct confrontation with Chimaev could have deadly consequences.
“All I’m going to do is pull out my gun and shoot him,” Strickland said. “...If he comes up to me like a man and says, ‘You know, Sean, you said some things about my father Kadyrov.’ I’ll tell him, ‘You know what, dude? You sold out, not me. I want to settle this.’ I’d say let’s settle it like men. But if you come at me with three f***ing Chechens who don’t speak English, I’m pulling out my gun and shooting every single one of you. I’ll be armed in New Jersey too, don’t you worry about that.”
Strickland has repeatedly mocked Chimaev for his ties to Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the Chechen Republic, who has been labeled a war criminal and sanctioned by multiple countries, including the United States. Several prominent UFC stars, including Kamaru Usman, Justin Gaethje, and Henry Cejudo, have also been linked to Kadyrov, who has appeared at UFC events outside the U.S., most recently in Abu Dhabi. Chimaev isn't the only non-American middleweight Strickland has issues with. When asked how he felt about leapfrogging Nassourdine Imavov in the title contention, the former champion launched into a tirade against foreign talent in the UFC.
“The UFC does this,” Strickland said. “They go and find these crappy people in these f***ing third-world countries and, honestly, do you care about some Frenchman who doesn’t even identify as one? ... The UFC is ruining the sport. We embraced Alex Pereira because Alex is already a f***ing American. He lives in America, he loves women, maybe a little too much, but we embraced that poor guy because he’s like the American dream, right? We look at Alex and say, ‘You’re Brazilian, but you’re also American.’ Imavov and the other bastards, we don’t accept you. We don’t even want to see you. You might be the best in the world, but nobody cares.”
“Whoever wins will have bragging rights, and whoever loses will just have to swallow it for the rest of their lives. So that’s one of those things, that’s the worst part about this fight. Let’s say I fight Anthony Hernandez and he beats me, I raise his hand and say, ‘Anthony, you beat me, you did your job.’ Dricus beat me, I raise his hand: ‘Hey, you beat me.’ But I think me and f***ing Khamzat will die as enemies.”
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