"No one wants to see that s**t" - Sean Strickland sees Khamzat Chimaev grinding out decision win against Alex Pereira
Sean Strickland has given his take on a potential fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Alex Pereira.
Speaking to Helen Yee at the Xtreme Couture Gym, Strickland explained why he believes 'Borz' would come out on top against Pereira if they were ever to fight one another:
"I think Chimaev will pull that off. Chimaev's not me, he's not going to be an egotistical f***head. Chimaev's going to do what he does and he wrestles. Me on the other hand, said 'f*** that Brazilian, we're going to kickbox'."
Strickland continued:
"Should I have wrestled? Maybe. But, I think if Chimaev went in there and wrestled hard, I think he could grind out three rounds with him and take a "W". But again, no one wants to see that s**t. It's MMA, but it's really kickboxing."
Strickland was viciously knocked out by Pereira in their middleweight clash at UFC 276. Pereira has won three fights in the UFC, with two via knockout. He is also known for his 2-0 record over current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in their kickboxing days.
Chimaev has been unbeaten since entering the octagon, with his last fight coming against Gilbert Burns in April. The Swede possesses a flawless 5-0 record in the welterweight division with eyes on a potential title clash in the near future.
Watch Strickland talk about a potential Chimaev-Pereira clash below:
Khamzat Chimaev expresses desire to fight Alex Pereira after Strickland win
After Pereira's vicious KO win at UFC 276, Khamzat Chimaev wasted no time in calling the Brazilian out for a potential fight. Although 'Borz' competes at welterweight, he has fought at middleweight before.
The Chechen native posted a tweet tagging UFC president Dana White, asking to be matched against 'Poatan'.
"I’m want to fight with this guy @ufc @danawhite let’s make it"
🏼
twitter.com/ufc/status/154…
I’m want to fight with this guy @ufc @danawhite let’s make it 👊🏼💥 twitter.com/ufc/status/154…
While Pereira is in line to face Adesanya next, Khamzat Chimaev will have his eyes set on welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Despite the match being highly unlikely at this point, the battle between the pair could certainly be one to watch.
With both relatively young in their UFC careers, there is still a long way to go before we can see the rising giants face off against one another inside the octagon. However, the future is bright for Chimaev and Pereira as they aim to extend their unbeaten streak in the UFC.