Khamzat Chimaev is brushing aside Sean Strickland’s talk of guns and violence as the two head into their middleweight title fight at UFC 328 this Saturday in Newark, N.J.
Chimaev and Strickland are scheduled to clash for the 185-pound belt, with UFC president Dana White saying the promotion is increasing security to keep them from getting physical before fight night. Strickland has said he will carry a gun in case of a confrontation with Chimaev and his team ahead of the bout.
Chimaev was unmoved by those threats. “Clowns always talk,” he said, later adding, “He’ll stop being a clown if he’s quiet. He didn’t shoot any chickens in the world, how’s he going to shoot a human?”
“I don’t think the guy wants a real war outside the cage,” Chimaev said. “If he wanted [a real war], he would be dead already.” Pointing to the setting for UFC 328, he added, “In New Jersey, this is a Muslim community, it’s my home. I don’t think so that he’s going to come with the guns there. Otherwise, it will be a lot of people injured because he’s there.”
The tension is fueled by past training rounds at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, where Strickland has claimed he dominated. Chimaev rejected that version: “He never had success with me. It’s not going to be different this time as well. I was fighting at 170 at that time. Imagine I beat him at that weight and I was cutting the weight and that time I beat him.”
“I like his talking,” Chimaev said. “He’s good for me. I don’t worry about that I need to talk. He’s talking for everyone. I hope he’s going to talk more. It’s funny to listen to this guy.”
