Sean Strickland: "A lot of things going to happen"- Khamzat Chimaev details Sean Strickland's potential path to a title shot and a fight against him

Khamzat Chimaev recently addressed talks of a potential fight against Sean Strickland. He made it clear that rivalry alone does not earn title opportunities.

Chimaev acknowledged the tension between them and admitted the matchup would bring attention and create memorable moments. From Chimaev’s standpoint, Strickland has work to do before a potential title shot.

Speaking in an interview with Brett Okamoto for ESPN MMA, he said:

“That will be funny [a fight against Strickland]. Funny interviews, like a lot of things going to happen about that as well. But he lost a lot of fights, he has to win one fight...He lost against the guy [Dricus du Plessis], who I beat, like I destroyed five rounds. That’s why he has to win one fight. But if they give him [the title shot], who cares?"

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Check out Khamzat Chimaev's comments below (13:45):

The history between them makes the matchup interesting. Their brief time training together at Xtreme Couture sparked conflicting accounts of sparring that have led to online exchanges.

Strickland insists he outworked Chimaev and has built his narrative around that claim. He has also claimed that he is the only middleweight who can stylistically trouble Chimaev.

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold added some weight to Strickland's comments by claiming that 'Tarzan' is "annoyingly hard to hold down."

Sean Strickland blames Khamzat Chimaev for holding up the division

Sean Strickland is ready to return but sees no reason to rush back into a stalled division. The former UFC middleweight champion confirmed he declined a UFC 325 slot, saying an overseas comeback made little sense while the title picture remains stuck.

Strickland believes the logjam starts at the top with Khamzat Chimaev, whose slow turnaround has left contenders waiting. With the belt effectively inactive, Strickland has shifted focus toward a stateside fight against Anthony Fluffy Hernandez in 2026.

Speaking in a recent video posted on Instagram, he said:

“A little insight on the middleweight division. The middleweight division’s on f*cking ice. You’ve got [Khamzat] Chimaev, the little who*e, he has Ramadan, and then he has a surgery, and then he’s going to fight Nassourdine [Imavov] in a year and just dry hu*p Nassourdine... So the middleweight division doesn’t exist."

He added:

“I’d be better off trying to fight for a 205 [pound] belt than I would the middleweight belt. It don’t exist anymore... The middleweight division’s on ice.”