"I was scaring them" - Khamzat Chimaev comments on why Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis may be hesitant to face him

Khamzat Chimaev has claimed that he has been promised a middleweight title opportunity in his return to the octagon following his majority decision victory over Kamaru Usman at UFC 294.

Despite this, both Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis, who are set to face off for the belt at UFC 297 this weekend, have revealed that they do not believe the No.9-ranked middleweight is worthy of such an opportunity.

'Borz' took to Twitter on Sunday to reveal that he believes both the middleweight champion and the title challenger are afraid to face him, stating:

"they have a fight soon, but they both think about me, I didn’t know that I was scaring them so much 🤦🏻‍♂️ 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣"

Check out Khamzat Chimaev's tweet on Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis below:

While UFC CEO Dana White suggested that Chimaev's UFC 294 bout against Usman could be a title eliminator, 'Borz' was less than impressive. Despite 'The Nigerian Nightmare' taking the fight on 10 days' notice and moving up a weight class, the bout went to decision.

Furthermore, many believed that it should have ended in a draw and that if it were a five-round fight, the No.1-ranked welterweight would have emerged victorious.

Although it is impossible to deny his talent, many believe that the No.9-ranked middleweight needs a convincing win in the division to earn a title opportunity.

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What did Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis say about Khamzat Chimaev?

Speaking on UFC Fight Pass following Khamzat Chimaev's victory over Kamaru Usman, Sean Strickland revealed that he doesn't believe 'Borz' is deserving of a title opportunity, stating:

"He hasn’t earned it, doesn’t f**king deserve it, but here we are. Give it to him. He sells a lot of fights. I’ll go fight the f**king man for five rounds. But no, he has not earned it. He doesn’t f**king deserve it. Getting a decision with a welterweight off the couch is not f**king earning it."

Check out Sean Strickland's comments on Khamzat Chimaev below:

Dricus du Plessis echoed similar comments speaking with Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie.

"As far as I know Khamzat's a welterweight. What middleweight did he fight? He fought at middleweight, but he fought a welterweight [Kamaru Usman]. Gerald Meerschaert? When was that? Was he even ranked? No, he wasn't ranked. So, that makes absolutely no sense. The UFC promised him a title fight? Where in the world does that happen?" he said.

Check out Dricus Du Plessis' comments on Khamzat Chimaev below:

Du Plessis added that he believes Israel Adesanya makes more sense to receive a title opportunity. The UFC has reportedly asked the two-time middleweight champion to be cage-side at UFC 297 this weekend.