Sean Strickland calls on “American Chimaev” to prove he’s ready for Khamzat Chimaev

Sean Strickland (left) aims to challenge Khamzat Chimaev (right). [Images courtesy: Getty]
Sean Strickland (left) aims to challenge Khamzat Chimaev (right). [Images courtesy: Getty]

Sean Strickland recently called out a fellow American fighter who is skilled in the wrestling department, similar to reigning middleweight kingpin Khamzat Chimaev.

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Strickland is hoping to get back into title contention by defeating no. 6-ranked middleweight Anthony Hernandez in a potential matchup. In a recent interview with Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie, the former champion vowed to prove his dominance against Hernandez, who hasn't tasted defeat since May 2020:

''I don't want [Israel Adesanya]. I'm not going to fight Izzy. I think it's the easier fight for me, but I want to fight that little Chechen wh*re. I want to fight somebody like 'Fluffy.' He puts me in title contention, especially with him, because all he does [is grapple]. He's like the American Chimaev. If I just go and outwrestle that f*cker for five rounds, it's like, 'All right, f*ck you, wh*re. Go beat your cans and let me know when you're ready.' That's what I'm looking for.''
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He continued:

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''More fights that put me back in the title. I'm one of the best grapplers in the UFC. I just don't get to do it, but I'm one of the best grapplers in the UFC. The reason I want to fight him out of anybody is just to say, 'All right, 25 minutes of the American Chimaev.''
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Check out Sean Strickland's comments below:

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Earlier this year, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) banned Strickland for six months for assaulting a fighter on June 29. His suspension ends on December 29. However, the time period will be reduced to Nov. 15 once he has completed anger management training.

As for Hernandez, he is currently on an eight-fight win streak, the most recent being a false fourth-round submission win over Roman Dolidze at UFC Vegas 109 in August.


When Sean Strickland bashed Khamzat Chimaev, citing their past training session

In an interview with Red Corner MMA earlier this year, Sean Strickland opened up about his training session with Khamzat Chimaev, criticizing him for facing weaker opponents:

''Chimaev is just a f**king c*nt. I was there when he retired from COVID. I was training with him...There's a video of me, I was like, 'Oh, you're so good, you're better than everybody,' like I'm being sarcastic. You can pick high-level UFC fighters, but you go and f**king starch this 1-1 guy, but there’s guys like Edmen [Shahbazyan], high-level UFC fighters, and you’re picking the 1-1 fighter because you think he’s the same height as your opponent. No dude, you’re picking him because you’re a bi*ch. Mentally, he's just a weak man."

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Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena
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