Sean Strickland makes surprising admission about Khamzat feud

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Sean Strickland has acknowledged that his heated rivalry with Khamzat Chimaev may have stemmed from a period when he wasn’t in the right headspace.

Strickland, coming off a loss to Dricus du Plessis, not only pulled off the upset but also battled through a serious shoulder issue to reclaim the title at UFC 328.

The build-up to the fight was filled with tension between Strickland and Chimaev, so much so that they weren’t allowed to face off at ceremonial weigh-ins. But once inside the cage, there was mutual respect shown before and after the final bell.

Strickland says rivalry with Chimaev may have been ‘all in his head’

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The buildup to UFC 328 saw Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev locked in a tense feud that included harsh words and even a kick during their press conference. But after the final bell, the mood had shifted completely. The two fighters touched gloves before the opening round and exchanged respect once it was over.

It didn’t take long for fans to wonder if all that animosity was ever real in the first place. Strickland himself later admitted he felt genuine hatred at the time, but looking back, he thinks it might have been more about his own mental state than anything Chimaev actually did.

“Maybe it’s just who he is as a person but when he was in the gym he was really threatening,” Strickland told the media after his victory. “He just had that threatening demeanour. And maybe that’s like the little man inside me but when he’s threatening me I’m like ‘I want to f—ing murder you, I want to kill you.’

“Maybe he didn’t take it that way, maybe it’s his Chechen sense of humour. But in the gym, he was always trying to, like, punk me. I was like ‘let’s go spar’ and we would never go spar.