Khamzat Chimaev: Sean Strickland will be dead if he pulls gun at UFC 328

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – Khamzat Chimaev heard Sean Strickland's comments loud and clear, and he says he's not worried.

While he radiated a lack of concern when asked, at a JAXXON Studios open workout Thursday, Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) also indicated if Strickland (30-7 MMA, 17-7 UFC) were to ever threaten him, he'd be the fatality.

"If he wants it, he will be dead already," Chimaev told MMA Junkie and other reporters. "... In New Jersey, there's a muslim community. It's my home. I don't think he's going to come out with the guns there. Otherwise, there will be a lot of people in jail because he's dead."

Chimaev's response comes one day after Strickland's open workout, during which he said the following when asked about a potential confrontation:

"What I'm going to do is pull my gun and shoot him," Strickland said. "I'll tell you what: That being said, if Chimaev were to come up to me as a gentleman and say, 'Hey, you know what? You said some things. You insulted my wife. I actually love sheep, it's crazy,' then I would be like, 'I love goats, dude. Goat tastes good.' He loves goats. We have that in common. I just don't f*ck them. But anyway, if you were to come up to me like a man, say, 'You know what, Sean? You said some things about my dad (Ramzan) Kadyrov.' I'm like, 'Well, you know what, dude? You whored yourself out, not me.' (Chimaev would say,) 'I want to settle this.' I would say, 'Let's settle this like a man.' But if you come up to me with three f*cking goat-f*cker Chechens who don't speak English, I'm going to pull my gun, and I'm going to shoot each and every one of you."

Chimaev indicated Thursday he thinks Strickland is all talk and that he made those comments as a goof to whip up attention. If taken at his word, Chimaev isn't taking them seriously.

"Clowns always talk," Chimaev said. "He's not going to be a clown if he's quiet. ... Bro, he didn't shoot any chickens in the world. How is he going to shoot a human?"

Chimaev also responded to Strickland's comments about past training sessions at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. The training came when Chimaev was at welterweight, and according to him, did not go well for Strickland. He plans to make things even more dominant inside the cage when it counts for real.

"He never had success with me. It is not going to be different with me this time as well," Chimaev said. "I was fighting 170 that time. Imagine I beat him at that weight when I was cutting the weight, and that time I beat him. Right now, think of how big I am, how hungry I am. It's good meat. I like white American chicken."

Chimaev and Strickland will fight for middleweight gold May 9 at at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.