Sean Strickland reacts as Khamzat Chimaev leaks old sparring footage of UFC 328 foes
Strickland aims to become a two-time middleweight champion by beating his former training partner this weekend
Sean Strickland has dismissed old sparring footage shared by Khamzat Chimaev , after the Russian posted a clip online and claimed he was “bullying” the American. On Saturday, Strickland will challenge his former training partner for the UFC middleweight title, as the pair headline UFC 328 in New Jersey . Ahead of that bout, there has been a frosty build-up, with extra security seemingly employed to ensure the rivals do not clash before fight night.
Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland (Getty) Part of the build-up saw Strickland claim that Chimaev picks on weaker fighters at gyms , which the Russian referenced by sharing old footage of a spar with the American and the caption: “I am bullying weak people. ” Now Strickland has addressed the clip, in which there is almost zero action, by telling media on Wednesday: “That’s what I’m talking about, the guy’s just a little f***ing rat. “One, I didn’t know we were filming.
[Two,] those are our warm-up rounds. “You’re just a weak man. You’re just a weak, weak man.
It’s like: what is the point? We’re light sparring. “We’ve only sparred once, and we did like a three-round spar.