Sean Strickland continues verbal assault on 'coward' Khamzat Chimaev

Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev have clear disdain for each other, but 'coward' Chimaev would be solely to blame should any altercation unfold ahead of their fight this weekend, claims Strickland.

The feud between Strickland and Chimaev is escalating, forcing the UFC to take action. As the middleweight title clash draws near, the promotion has attempted to counter any unwanted confrontations by assigning extra law enforcement to fight week and the subsequent event on Saturday night.

Despite taking every precaution to make sure things go smoothly, Sean Strickland believes the company should be zeroing in on his opponent, Khamzat Chimaev. The former champion will collide with 'Borz' in hopes of recapturing his title at UFC 328, but feels Chimaev is capable of ruining his dreams before ever standing across the octagon from him.

"I think the security is pretty not necessary," Strickland said. "But it's like how much money is the UFC making and spending on this fight? Chimaev won't fight me. If he goes and gets one of his 10 friends to try to fight me, they're in line to lose a lot of f***ing money."

"This is again why we go back to Chimaev, and I say he doesn't have f***ing dignity. When in my life would you ever hear me say 'I'm going to jump you' or 'my friends are going to jump you' or 'my religion's going to jump you' or 'I'm going to do this.' It's like, dude, you just act like a f***ing coward. You're a dog. I would never say that. You think my fans would ever jump you? No, because my fans have f***ing dignity. They're f***ing men, unlike you. You third-world f***ing dog."

The tension between two of the UFC's best is approaching its boiling point.

Threats of being jumped, the involvement of a whole community of Muslims, and even a potential use of guns have been prevalent during the trash-talk exchanges. However, if something were to develop, Strickland trusts Chimaev would be to blame, initiating it from the background.

"He's not going to fight. When have you seen Chimaev do anything? He has his five boys do it. It's not for Chimaev. Chimaev's not going to do sh*t, dude," Strickland continued. "I'm a man with some dignity, so I would just be like, 'Hello Chimaev, see you on Saturday.' Him on the other hand, being a f***ing dog, would probably say something stupid and I would say, 'All right, Chimaev, let's go, you f***ing b*tch.' And he's going to run out that f***ing door and have all his little f***ing Chechen lackeys run in. Why? Because he's a f***ing dog."

With no intention to jeopardize the fight this weekend, all focus is on dethroning Khamzat Chimaev and reinstating himself as the UFC middleweight champion for Sean Strickland.

Though for Strickland, his main concern lies with his opponent's group, after being warned that Chimaev has an estimated 30 men by his side, riding into the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on May 9.

"I'm a grown as f***ing man," Strickland stated. "I'm a f***ing American. I don't roll around with a posse because I'm a scared little b*tch."

"I'll call Chimaev right now and we'll go meet in the parking lot and guess what? I will be there alone. You're going to be there with 30 f***ing guys because why? Even if in your heart, Chimaev, if you thought you'd beat me, you know there's a chance that I f***ing drop you on that floor and I f***ing take your life."

"You know this, and that little coward inside you will never f***ing man up and fight me. You'll go get your lackeys, you'll go get your 30 Chechens, you'll hide behind your religion. You're just a soft motherf*cking man."

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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 8:00 AM.