Morning Report: Sean Strickland unloads on Khamzat Chimaev, says 'he doesn't f****** deserve' title shot

23/10/2023 13:00

Sean Strickland has a very straightforward opinion on his first possible title defense.

The next UFC middleweight title fight was seemingly decided at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi this past Saturday. Always slated to compete in the evening's co-main event, the undefeated super-talent, Khamzat Chimaev, lost his original opponent Paulo Costa to a bad staph infection on roughly 10 days' notice. Enter the former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman to save the day and make the fight an 185-pound title eliminator, according to UFC President Dana White.

In the end, Chimaev (13-0) bested the all-time great Usman via a hard-fought majority decision, establishing himself in his new primary division. With all the factors considered, however, the champion Strickland doesn't see it as a win worthy of a title shot at 185 pounds.

"The only thing I like about Chimaev is that he sells fights," Strickland said on UFC Fight Pass's Extar Rounds. "For some reason, people f****** like him or don't like him. I don't know. To me, he's a f****** paycheck. He sells a lot of fights. People pay to watch but he f****** hasn't earned it.

"He doesn't f****** deserve it but here we are. Give it to him. He sells a lot of fights. I'll go f****** fight the man for five rounds. But no, he has not earned it. He doesn't f****** deserve it and getting a decision with a welterweight off the couch does not f****** earning it."

Strickland captured the division's title with a big upset win over Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision at UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia last month. The win instantly shook up middleweight and possibilities fans could expect to see atop the weight class. Like Usman, Strickland wasn't the originally planned opponent for Adesanya as Dricus du Plessis was in line to challenge for the title until a foot injury prevented him from making the date.

Du Plessis remains on the outside looking in on the title talks while Adesanya also sits idle, taking some time off. Therefore, Chimaev is in a prime position to get his opportunity but the reaction from Strickland is a somewhat surprising one because the pair have previously trained together in Las Vegas. When apart in the time since, however, all bets now seem off.

"Let me tell you about Chimaev, guys. This is a true story," Strickland said. "Since we're gonna talk about training, one day I made fun of a Chechnyan and he misunderstood what I said. It was more of like a compliment to the fighter and he sent me a message, talking s***, and I said, 'Chimaev, you misunderstood but I will see you tomorrow at 3 o'clock, gloves or no gloves, turn up.' Then guess what? No show. No answer. We talked it out. He's like, 'No, no, no. It's okay, we talk about it.'

"Here's the thing about Chimaev, the man can f****** fight. We all know that. He beat Usman to a decision. Usman, old, retired, but whatever. He still did it. But me and him are f****** different. Chimaev could be right here and I will fight that man to the death, knowing I'm gonna die. That ain't f****** Chimaev, dude."

TOP STORIES

Reflection. UFC 294: 7 biggest takeaways from a wild (and very bizarre) night in Abu Dhabi

Controversy.Javid Basharat to appeal UFC 294 no-contest, accuses Victor Henry of quitting; Josh Barnett responds

Champ.Alexander Volkanovski explains struggle 'to pull the trigger' in Islam Makhachev rematch

Fight. Tyson Fury tells Francis Ngannou exactly how he's going to knock him out in face-to-face interview

Weird. Dana White criticizes 'inexperienced' doctor who stopped Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker fight

Result. 'Kamaru Usman is the real winner': Fighters react to Khamzat Chimaev's decision over Kamaru Usman at UFC 294

Bad. Victoria Dudakova fought at UFC 294 with hidden staph infection: 'My butt is completely bloodied up right now'

Time.Cain Velasquez reflects on jail time in attempted murder case: 'I've never been alone, really'

Contention.Justin Gaethjestates case for next title shot, claims Islam Makhachev would easily beat Charles Oliveira again

Limbo. Dana White confirms UFC in talks with Michael 'Venom' Page

Yes. Kamaru Usman would've liked 'extra two rounds' against Khamzat Chimaev

VIDEO STEW

UFC 294 Post-Show.

On To the Next One.

UFC 294 Post-Fight Press Conference.

Madness.

Full fights.

Powerhouse Playback: Frey vs. Robb.

KO and nutshot anatomy.

The English breakfast.

MORNING MUSIC

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Design.

Assessment.

Plan.

Oh, Rafael......

GOAT.

Pride.

Controversy.

Lol.

Well.

Please no, Dan.

Winning.

Artsy.

Cold-blooded.

Impact...

FINAL THOUGHTS

I didn't quite expect Strickland to go so nuclear on Chimaev like that with all things considered. Is that champ mentality kicking in already? Time to play the game.

Thanks for reading!

POLL POSITION

Last Week's Results:

Friday: 58% of 369 total votes answered "Yes" when asked, "Will Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski 2 end with a finish?" Makhachev defeated Volkanovski via first-round TKO (head kick and punches) at 3:06 in UFC 294's main event.

Thursday: 58% of 388 total votes answered "No" when asked, "Has Kamaru Usman's open workout changed your expectations of how his fight with Khamzat Chimaev will go?" Chimaev defeated Usman via majority decision in UFC 294's co-main event.

Wednesday: 51% of 557 total votes answered "Alexander Volkanovski" when asked, "Who wins this weekend?"

Tuesday: 37% of 287 total votes were tied, answering "UFC 294" and "UFC 295" when asked, "After the changes to UFC 294, which is the best final UFC PPV of 2023?"

Monday: 64% of 503 total votes answered "Khamzat Chimaev" when asked, "Who wins this weekend?"

Today's exit poll:

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