Just days before his title clash with Sean Strickland at UFC 328, Khamzat Chimaev has broken one of MMA’s oldest rules – and fans are not impressed.
The undefeated Russian will make the first defence of his middleweight title against Strickland this weekend in New Jersey.
PPV: UFC 328: Chimaev v Strickland | SUN 10 MAY 11AM AEST | UFC Middleweight Champion Khamzat Chimaev will return to the octagon for the first defence of his title, where he takes on former champ Sean Strickland, in Newark. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
Their championship showdown has become one of the sport’s nastiest grudge matches, with the pair feuding for more than two years.
The rivalry has included death threats and has forced the UFC to take extraordinary measures to keep them separated during fight week.
The bad blood dates back to their time training together at Extreme Couture in 2021, with both men offering very different versions of how their relationship unravelled.
Strickland has repeatedly claimed “Borz” was a gym bully who avoided sparring with anyone near his level.
Chimaev fired back at those accusations this week by leaking footage of the pair sparring on social media.
He captioned the clip: “I am bullying weak people.”
The clip, which lasts for about 30 seconds, doesn’t reveal much, but it does show Chimaev doing most of the attacking.
Releasing sparring footage is considered a major no-no in combat sports, with most gyms operating under an unspoken code of trust when it comes to training sessions.
Fans online were quick to point that out, with many roasting the Russian in the comments.
Strickland was asked about the leaked footage during UFC 328 media day and said the clip only reinforced everything he has claimed about Chimaev for years.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Strickland said.
“The guy’s just a little f**king rat. One, I didn’t know we were filming. Those are our warm-up rounds.
“You’re just a weak man. You’re just a weak, weak man. It’s like what is the point? We’re light sparring.
“I mean those shorts are a little questionable on my part. They were Amazon. It was a bad angle.”
Strickland says he never got to spar Chimaev much because the champ only went against training partners he was much better than.
“We’ve only sparred once, and I think we did a three-round spar,” Strickland said.
“So, we sparred once, but I kept telling you this, dude. When I go to a gym, I want to spar the best guy. I wanted to spar him, but he would always just go beat up the lower level guys.”
Earlier this week, Strickland told press that their feud was triggered by a “misunderstanding” in a group chat.
The “Chechen Wolf” claims Strickland’s attitude toward him changed after Chimaev made him tap repeatedly during sparring sessions.
He also alleges Strickland brought a gun to the gym following a disagreement.
Chimaev says he isn’t worried that Strickland will attack him before they throw down this weekend.
“Where is he? I’ve been here three days in the lobby and the guy said he’s going to shoot me,” Chimaev said.
“Let’s go. Do that. I will be happy to die.
“Do you think I care about what he says? When it comes time to die, I will be happy. All my life I’ve heard stuff like that. I don’t care about that s**t.”
In fact, Borz believes Strickland’s trash talk is helping both men cash bigger cheques.
“I love him,” Chimaev told a media scrum.
“I don’t know they pay good for him. That’s the important thing.
“I never made that much money before. That’s good.”
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Strickland says he can’t see himself ever burying the hatchet with Chimaev, no matter what happens in the main event at UFC 328.
The former champ has had beefs with other fighters over the years that have cooled off following them meeting in the Octagon, but the American insists that won’t be the case this time.
“The s**tty thing is that whoever wins is going to have bragging rights, and whoever doesn’t is just going to have to f**king eat s**t until they die,” Strickland told the media last week.
“But nah dude, I think me and [Khamzat], we die enemies.”
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When pressed about this on Thursday, Chimaev said he didn’t care either way.
“What’s the point if I shake hands or not after the fight?” Chimaev said.
“I beat him up, I maybe never see him again.
“The other 15 guys who I beat, I almost didn’t see them again.
“I don’t care about his life. I care about my life.”