Sean Strickland has turned up the heat ahead of his UFC 328 main event against Khamzat Chimaev, warning that any confrontation outside the cage could have deadly consequences.
Strickland and Chimaev are scheduled to headline UFC 328 next Saturday in Newark, N.J., where Chimaev is described as an undefeated middleweight champion defending his title for the first time.
Speaking at a media scrum, Strickland claimed he would not hesitate to use a firearm if approached in a threatening way by Chimaev and his entourage. “All I’m going to do, I’m going to pull my gun out and I’m going to shoot him,” Strickland said, later adding, “But if you come up to me with three f*cking goatf*cker Chechnyans that don’t speak English, I’m going to pull my gun and I’m going to shoot each and every one of you. I’ll be strapped in New Jersey, too, don’t even worry about that.”
Strickland also took aim at Chimaev’s association with Ramzan Kadyrov, saying, “… If he were to come up to me like a man, say, ‘You know what Sean you said some things about my dad Kadyrov.’ I’m like, ‘You know what, dude? You whored yourself out, not me. I want to settle this.’ I would say let’s settle this like a man.”
The former champion broadened his criticism to other international middleweights, including Nassourdine Imavov, and the UFC’s recruitment approach, declaring, “The UFC does this,” and, “Imavov, these motherf*ckers, we don’t accept you guys. We don’t even want to f*cking see you guys. You could be the best fighter in the world, but nobody gives a f*ck.”
Looking ahead to UFC 328, Strickland summed up his feelings on the matchup with Chimaev: “But I think me and f*cking Khamzat, we die enemies.”
