Khamzat Chimaev is locked in on his first middleweight title defense, as he prepares to face former champion Sean Strickland in the UFC 328 main event on May 9 in Newark, N.J.
The UFC plans to keep Chimaev and Strickland separated until they walk to the cage, according to Dana White. Chimaev reacted to a social media comment about security potentially pulling him off Strickland in a vlog uploaded by Adam Zubayraev, saying, "I don’t want to kill a man," and adding, "Haram. … No. They wouldn’t let me kill him there anyway. Out on the street, that’s different—if he dies, he dies. But in the cage, it’s sport."
Chimaev emphasized that he is not fixated on how the fight ends. "Honestly, I don’t think about that at all," he said. "I’m just training for now. Whatever happens, happens. … I always picture victory, but only the Almighty knows how it will happen. By any means."
The undefeated champion captured the middleweight belt with a five-round decision over Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319 this past August, a title-winning performance that was described as much-maligned. Before that, he built his reputation with quick UFC finishes over Gerald Meerschart, Li Jingliang, and Rhys McKee, plus a three-round decision over Gilbert Burns that earned Fight of the Night honors.
Looking ahead to Strickland, Chimaev kept his approach simple: "I want to fight," he said. "We still have to fight anyway. … I move according to the situation."
