Sean Strickland Rips Khamzat Chimaev for Alleged Inactivity, Says He’s Holding Up the Middleweight Division
Sean Strickland has not stepped into the octagon since his title loss against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312. However, since then, the middleweight division has undergone significant changes, with Khamzat Chimaev emerging as the new champion.
The ‘Borz’ dominantly defeated Du Plessis at UFC 319 and captured the middleweight championship convincingly. Since winning the title, there has been no clear update regarding Chimaev’s comeback or potential title defense plans.
Strickland, who has maintained a long-standing rivalry with Chimaev, recently blasted the champion over inactivity accusations. He accused Chimaev of stalling the middleweight division and avoiding active defenses against top-ranked contenders.
“It’s kind of weird what the UFC did with Chimaev. You brought a guy in that fights once a year..He’s just gonna sit on that f***ing belt and wait and wait, until they force him to fight. The middleweight division, man… From a pure money perspective, you would make more money not fighting for the belt than you would fighting for the belt […] The belt isn’t even on my brain anymore. I don’t think about it. I’ll make significantly more money just fighting,” said Sean Strickland via ESPN MMA.
Previously, Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev trained together regularly, but over time their relationship shifted dramatically. Strickland has consistently mocked Chimaev for his close association with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov during interviews.
He has also criticized Chimaev over allegations of scamming supporters through a controversial pump-and-dump crypto scheme. Despite personal attacks, the former champion believes his wrestling background gives him the best chance to defeat Chimaev.
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Sean Strickland regrets taking the Dricus Du Plessis fight
Sean Strickland lost to Dricus Du Plessis twice, losing his middleweight title initially and failing to reclaim it during their anticipated rematch. In the second bout, ‘Tarzan’ was largely outclassed across key exchanges, prompting many experts and analysts to question his tactical approach. However, according to Strickland himself, he never wanted the rematch and ultimately accepted it only after feeling pressured by the UFC.
“The UFC doesn’t control any of us, but I probably should have said no to that. I wasn’t healthy for it. But you get pulled into the big guy’s office, and they say, ‘If you don’t say yes, somebody else will, and you’ll be put on the back burner,” Sean Strickland continued.
Currently, the middleweight division features several top contenders, including Nassourdine Imavov, waiting patiently for a title opportunity. Both Imavov and Chimaev have verbally agreed to fight each other, but no official announcement has been made. Apart from that, Chimaev has also publicly called out current light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira for a clash.
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