UFC fighter shares anxiety crisis, Sean Strickland's "nasty" DM, Khamzat Chimaev's "dictator" ties: MMA News Roundup
A fighter, who recently competed at UFC 308, has shared his struggles with crippling anxiety issues. Elsewhere, a former fighter brought up the possibility of Khamzat Chimaev's ties with the Chechen dictator jeopardizing his title shot.
Read on to find out more about today's top combat sports updates.
Bruno Silva struggling with crippling anxiety
Bruno Silva has lost six of his last seven fights and is on a four-fight losing streak. In his latest outing, he lost to Ismail Naurdiev on the preliminary card of Saturday night's UFC 308. Following the defeat, Silva took to Instagram to reveal his struggle with anxiety:
"I’m very happy in my personal life and fulfilled as a man, but there’s been a few years that I have dealt with a strong anxiety crisis inside the octagon...When the first round ended [at UFC 308], the crisis came, and I was very tired. It felt like my heart would come out of my mouth, and I felt bad. I lost my focus entirely.''
He added that he would prefer to take a break from fighting and take time off to recover from the mental health issues. He also urged his followers to not be embarrassed to ask for help if they are going through something similar.
Sean Strickland sent a "nasty" DM to Chael Sonnen
During the latest episode of the Good Guy / Bad Guy podcast, Chael Sonnen read out a DM he received from Sean Strickland after the UFC 308 co-main event concluded. Khamzat Chimaev rag-dolled Robert Whittaker and scored an early submission, leaving 'The Reaper's' lower teeth dislocated.
Strickland wrote to Sonnen:
"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.''
Seeing Cormier's surprised expression, Sonnen added:
"That's nasty. He got nasty in there didn't he."
Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below (25:30):
Khamzat Chimaev's "dictator" ties could prove to be risky for UFC
It's no secret that Khamzat Chimaev is a close friend and supporter of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who helped him out during his struggles with COVID-19 and was a guest of honor at his wedding in 2022.
However, the close association of the two may end up jeopardizing Chimaev's relationship with the UFC or even prove to be a roadblock to his potential title shot, suggested former fighter Brendan Schaub.
Schaub said in a recent video on his channel:
"There's a lot going on behind the scenes with Khamzat that a lot of people don't know about. That Chechen dictator - his two sons were his cornermen. Do you want that to be the face of the middleweight division? One of the faces of the UFC, knowing there are these ties to this horrible dictator."
He added that Chimaev getting a title shot would mean the winner of Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland would have to travel to the Middle East to fight him, which isn't fair in Schaub's opinion.
"If you're DDP [Dricus du Plessis] and Strickland [Sean], whoever wins that fight, which they're probably going to do next... You're gonna ask that champ to only fight in the Middle East? Well, that ain't fair... To make these guys go to the Middle East is insane."