Khamzat Chimaev responds after Sean Strickland comments

Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC

Khamzat Chimaev has fired back at Sean Strickland following the American’s latest round of trash talk.

With fight week getting underway, the build-up between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland is starting to pick up steam. The two fighters are set to headline UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, and there’s no shortage of tension between them.

Strickland’s words have ruffled feathers before, and this time was no different. When asked about his opponent ahead of the event, he didn’t hold back.

His exact words: “Do you want to know what I do? I shoot him. How about that? His whole f——– team rushes me in fight week in a country where they don’t like me already.”

But even with those remarks hanging in the air, Chimaev didn’t seem bothered. Speaking during media day for UFC 308, he shrugged off Strickland’s comments.

Chimaev shrugs off Strickland’s trash talk ahead of UFC 302 title defence

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Khamzat Chimaev’s coach has been clear with his advice ahead of the champion’s first title defence against Sean Strickland: focus on the fight, not the noise.

During a recent media session, Chimaev was asked about Strickland’s threats and whether he was taking them seriously.

While he doubts that the former titleholder is being serious, he doesn’t think this would go well for the controversial American if he does follow through on his comments.

“I don’t think the guy wants a real war outside of the cage. If he wanted [one], he would be dead already… Bro, in New Jersey, it’s [a] Muslim community,” Chimaev said in a video posted by TheMacLife. “It’s my home. So I don’t think so, that he’s going to come out with the guns there. Otherwise, there will be a lot of people in jail because he’s dead.”