Sean Strickland sent "nasty" DM to Chael Sonnen about Khamzat Chimaev after UFC 308: "Scammed his fans, became friends with a dictator"
Sean Strickland recently went off against Khamzat Chimaev in his private conversation with Chael Sonnen. Strickland reaffirmed his position as the No. 1 contender for the middleweight title and slammed Chimaev, citing his crypto currency controversy.
During the latest episode of Good Guy / Bad Guy podcast, UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier discussed the middleweight title landscape with Sonnen following Chimaev's impressive win against Robert Whittaker at UFC 308. Sonnen then revealed a private text he received from Strickland in which 'Tarzan' chastisied Chimaev, saying:
''I’m next in line, it’s been said and it’s been written. After I beat Dricus [Du Plessis] up, Chimaev can step up. And to the point that Chimaev is a contender, I welcome that, but I have Dricus next. The man who scammed his fans, became friends with a dictator, and had to flee his homeland while staying on the run, needs to tighten his own leash up a little bit. Hey Chimaev, sit down, and wait your turn.''
In response, Cormier expressed his excitement over the potential heated conflict brewing up between Strickland and Chimaev, saying:
''Sean Strickland said that? I like it. It's nasty.''
Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below (25:31):
Notably, Strickland was alluding to Chimaev's backing of the meme-themed cryptocurrency SMASH, which sparked a lot of controversy. The former champion also blasted 'Borz' for his strong friendship with Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chimaev's native place, Chechnya, which drew widespread criticism.
Prior to his conversation with Sonnen, Strickland went on X and reiterated his status as the next title challenger, writing:
''Understand one thing.... I am next in line..... Its been said, its been written... January/February me and @dricusduplessis are scrapping. Go back to Chechnya and wait a few months..... wait.. sorry UAE... you're not allowed in Chechnya...But hey crypto scams while you wait.''
Khamzat Chimaev recalls his training session with Sean Strickland
Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland's victories at UFC 308 and UFC 302, respectively, have left many wondering who will face Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight title next.
Prior to UFC 308, Chimaev spoke with Michael Bisping about his sparring session with 'Tarzan'. 'Borz' stated that he had submitted Strickland on multiple occasions:
''Yeah, we sparred with [Strickland], we trained with that guy and I don't know, we've been good when we've been in the gym. When I [went] back to Sweden, he start tweet and do some things... Yeah, he didn't like when I said I tapped him out... Yeah, [I submitted him] many times, bro... [I got him with] chokes, different things... but he's a good fighter. He's tough guy, tough dude."
Check out Khamzat Chimaev's comments below (6:02):