Sean Strickland has dramatically escalated the tension with Khamzat Chimaev ahead of their UFC 328 middleweight title fight, issuing a detailed threat about what would happen if the two crossed paths before fight night in Newark.
Speaking at a media scrum on Wednesday, Strickland was asked about the possibility of a pre-fight confrontation given that Chimaev had previously declared “if he dies, he dies” about a potential street encounter. Strickland’s response left nothing to the imagination.
“All I’m going to do, I’m going to pull my gun out and I’m going to shoot him. But if you come up to me with three fing goatfer 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.”
He drew a distinction between a group approach and a one-on-one confrontation, saying he would handle a solo encounter differently. The group scenario, however, he described as an automatic escalation.
Strickland also repeatedly targeted Chimaev’s association with Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the Chechen Republic, who has been sanctioned by multiple nations, including the United States, and has appeared at UFC events outside America.
When asked about bypassing Nassourdine Imavov in the title race, Strickland pivoted into a broader attack on international fighters who he feels are not embraced by fans regardless of their ability.
“The UFC does this. They go find these shy fing people in these third-world fing countries and, like, do you really give a fk about a French guy that doesn’t even claim f**ing France?”
He contrasted that with Alex Pereira, whom he said has been accepted because he represents something aspirational to American audiences.
Unlike previous feuds with Dricus du Plessis and Anthony Hernandez that cooled after the final bell, Strickland does not expect the same with Chimaev.
“I think me and f*ing Khamzat, we die enemies. Whoever wins is going to have bragging rights while the loser is just going to have to eat sh until they die.”
UFC 328 takes place May 9 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.