Khamzat Chimaev insists his mentality remains the same as he prepares to defend his UFC middleweight title against former champion Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 328 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
The undefeated titleholder, who sits at 15-0 in MMA and 9-0 in the UFC, spoke to MMA Junkie and other reporters during a media scrum at JAXXON House, making it clear he still sees himself as the aggressor despite being the champion.
"Still the hunter," Chimaev said.
Chimaev explained that the status of holding the belt has not altered his priorities. "I don't go after the belt. If I was going after the belt, I would finish my career. I already have the belt. I go for the money," he said, later adding, "No, I don't care about my belt," and, "I don't need to be the champ in the gym. I have to be a normal guy, working every day."
Asked about his opponent, with whom he previously trained and now shares a contentious rivalry, Chimaev downplayed any concern over Strickland’s plans. "Why should I care about what the guy's gonna do?" he said.
Describing his approach, Chimaev offered a vivid analogy: "If you're the hunter, so he don't need to know where is the beef. You just go after smells. Go, take him, eat him up. That's it."
