Undefeated middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev expects to face the winner of the UFC 312 middleweight title fight between champion Dricus Du Plessis and former titleholder Sean Strickland.
Du Plessis (22-2) defeated Strickland by a razor-close split decision at UFC 297 in January 2024. They’ll run it back at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia next week.
In the buildup to UFC 312, Strickland has been doing doing the media rounds to promote the fight. In an interview with MMAJunkie, Strickland went scorched Earth on Chimaev, but admitted that a fight against “Borz” would likely be the most lucrative match in the division.
“The Chechen f*cking whore. Anybody who fights that guy is going to get a f*cking paycheck. The f*cking Chechen whore,” Strickland said.
Chimaev is coming off an a first-round submission victory over former champion Robert Whittaker, but Strickland wasn’t too impressed with the win.
“You went hard. You fought a guy that came out really f*cking flat and doesn’t give a f*ck. Rob is known to either be a f*cking superstar or a f*cking can, and he was a f*cking can,” Strickland said. “He was just met with too much pressure. After I’m done with Chimaev he’s going to go back to f*cking peddling crypto scams.”
Related: Conor McGregor and Paul Hughes involved in heated social media exchange
Strickland doesn’t care who he fights but believes it would be ‘fun’ to humble the undefeated third-ranked contender.
“Chimaev would be fun just to f*cking roast him. I mean, who the f*ck is Chimaev? You fled your sh*tty f*cking country to go have a better life in Sweden. You go back because your family is persecuted. You go back. You suck off the same f*cking dictator who probably made your life a living hell. You become a f*cking Chechen whore. He starts pulling the leash on you like he f*cking owns you,” Strickland said.
“The leash gets too f*cking tight and you flee to another f*cking country. And then you start doing crypto scams,” Strickland continued. “At the end of the day, can Chimaev fight? He can fight, but you’re not a f*cking man.
“I know you’re not a man. You know you’re not a man. The whole f*cking world knows you’re not a f*cking man.”
