Darren Till: Khamzat Chimaev has 'very tough fight' with Sean Strickland at UFC 328

Darren Till is fully biased in favor of Khamzat Chimaev ahead of UFC 328, but even he sees the middleweight champion is going to have his hands full with Sean Strickland.

Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) will attempt to make his first 185-pound title defense on May 9 when he meets Strickland (30-7 MMA, 17-7 UFC) in the headlining act at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (Paramount+). It's a massive fight with not only high stakes, but a personal element as well, with champion and challenger having a strong disdain for each other.

In terms of the fight itself, Chimaev is billed as the heavy betting favorite more than one week out. There's growing sentiment from fighters and experts that Strickland has the tools to make it compelling, though, and Till has the unique insight of having trained with both men.

"I love Khamzat to death," Till told MMA Junkie. "He's my f*cking boy, but I think he's got a very tough fight with Sean. I've trained with Sean, and he's got very great defense of getting back to the feet. But if you want me to say it as a whole, I think Khamzat's on a roll, and I think Khamzat's going to be way too strong and too powerful for him. But also, I would like Khamzat not to run in there and gas himself out because he is very seasoned and is able to go the five rounds. If I'm giving advice as a friend, that's what I would say to him."

Although Till holds Strickland's skillset in high regard, he ultimately has to side with the man who has never tasted defeat in a professional MMA fight, and that's Chimaev.

"How I see the fight, I see Khamzat dominating," Till said. "But also go in there with a good, strategical plan. You know what I mean?"

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 328: Darren Till warns Khamzat Chimaev about pace vs. Sean Strickland