Sean Strickland got his wish after a big main event win over Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston last month. At UFC 328 on May 9 in Newark, New Jersey, Strickland will attempt to reclaim middleweight gold when he challenges the champion Khamzat Chimaev.
The matchup slowly became a possibility after the first time Strickland and Chimaev met in the training room at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. Never shy to speak his mind, Strickland has launched verbal attacks at the now-champion at any chance he gets, while “Borz” has done his dirty work in the Octagon.
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Speaking Monday on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick revealed that the top middleweights sparred for roughly a month in 2021. Ultimately, he never saw the fight coming to fruition, as Chimaev was in the welterweight division back then. But from all indications, the highly acclaimed trainer can’t pinpoint where the fighters’ relationship broke down.
“Honestly, I thought they got along really well,” Nicksick told Uncrowned. “I thought they pushed each other really well. I felt like it was more of a competitive environment than anything, so where it kind of took a turn, I honestly couldn’t tell you.”
Strickland, 35, has never known a line he’s afraid to cross. His issues with Chimaev, while occasionally centered on Chimaev’s wrestle-heavy style, often take a personal turn. In recent rivalry fights against Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis, Strickland sparred back and forth in verbal warfare. Coincidentally, both pairings were in the American’s lone title-fight appearances — he defeated Adesanya, then lost both du Plessis fights.
Sean Strickland has a tall task on his hands when challenging the UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
(Jeff Bottari via Getty Images)
Although Nicksick was in Strickland’s corner for all three of those collisions, he admits there’s something more unique about the Chimaev bout.
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“This has a different vibe, different feel to it. It really does,” Nicksick said. “I think there’s just this competitive nature between the two of these guys that they — I hope they don’t make it more of an emotional fight than a tactical fight. But I feel like there’s more emotions that are riding on this than the title is important to them. I think it’s more about bragging rights.”
The middleweight title scene has been home for Strickland since his brief reign with the championship in 2023. Despite alternating wins and losses in his four fights since, he’s needed only one win apiece to secure himself opportunities to challenge the champions.
This time, the title shot arrives at an interesting time in the division. Chimaev has yet to defend after he dethroned du Plessis last August. In the meantime, surging contender Nassourdine Imavov has staked his claim as the expected first challenger, rattling off five straight wins over top contenders.
Ultimately, the UFC went in Strickland’s direction, and Nicksick sees both sides of the contender coin.
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“There’s a part of me that also does feel bad for him and all, but he’s a great guy, and he’s done his job,” Nicksick said of Imavov. “But as a promotion, I think this makes a lot of sense, just with the heat and the noise behind it. Former training partners, if you will, and things like that. I can understand why the promotion decided to go this route, but I also do have an understanding why Imavov would feel slighted in this position as well. But, you know, he’s a guy that just stays ready because you never know when your opportunity might be there. Same thing that happened with us in the [Adesanya] fight. We got the call for short notice because [du Plessis] wasn’t going to fight ‘Izzy’ and that put Sean in that opportunity to be able to go fight.”
The budding grudge match between Strickland and Chimaev begs for a highly volatile affair in the cage. However, Strickland has often been criticized for having more bark than bite, as evidenced by his lackluster effort in his rematch with du Plessis one year ago.
Strickland’s third-round stoppage of the aforementioned Hernandez in his latest triumph was his first fight to end within 25 minutes since July 2023. Nicksick sees the potential for finishes in the upcoming title bid. But ultimately, the coach remains realistic when assessing what can very well be a war of attrition.
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“The reality of it is, I think with both their styles, yes, I do [think it will go to a decision], but you just never know, man,” Nicksick said. “In this sport, in MMA, one wrong move or you can get knocked out, or you can get submitted, or whatever it may be. So, I think for us, it’s realizing and forming a game plan to keep our guy in the best positions to win. That’s going to be the focal point. We can’t be putting ourselves on the cage and we can’t be stuck in these positions because this guy is just a wet blanket, man. He’s going to stay on you, and he’s going to be constantly mat returning and re-wrestling. So, space is going to be the priority for us.”
