Cut The Check! Strickland Will Fight Khamzat Under One Condition

Sean Strickland is game to fight just about anyone, but the reigning UFC middleweight champion isn’t too keen on giving undefeated contender Khamzat Chimaev a shot at his title.

Strickland, who defends his 185-pound belt for the first time this Saturday night against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, has become one of the most popular fighters on the UFC roster today. His title fight win over Israel Adesanya late last year essentially made him a star and now Strickland finds himself in the driver’s seat.

While Strickland will have his hands full with DDP this weekend at UFC 297 he still has a lot to look forward to in 2024. If victorious, there is a collection of middleweights ready to challenge Strickland for the title. This happens to include Chimaev, who is 7-0 since making his Octagon debut back in 2020.

The only issue for Strickland in giving someone like Chimaev a shot at UFC gold is the fact that “Borz” is not ranked high enough in the middleweight division. In fact, Chimaev has fought only once at 185 pounds since his first few months in the promotion and that came against former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 this past October. That fight ended in a majority decision win for Chimaev, but it left fight fans and fellow middleweight contenders wanting more from “Borz.”

This includes Strickland, who believes rankings have to stand for something. Of course, Strickland is a company man through and through. If the promotion wants to pay him enough to fight Khamzat for the UFC middleweight title then so be it.

“It’s kind of hard man, I’d prefer somebody new,” Strickland said earlier this week about his next potential opponent. “Chimaev- I mean, rankings f—king matter dude. Has Chimaev ever fought an 85er? Not a ranked 85er. He took Usman off the couch for a f—king week. Come on dude. Stop f—king with UFC. Go back to being a real f—king sporting event, go back to f—king rankings. I don’t give a f—k. Again, I don’t give a f—k who it is. Make the stack of money bigger, I’ll fight you, you know?”

If Strickland is victorious at UFC 297 and Adesanya is not in a position to challenge him for a rematch, does it make sense to book Strickland vs. Chimaev?

Let us know!

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