The hostility was inconceivable to cover when Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland lastly got here face-to-face forward of their conflict.
What began as easy trash speak has changed into a deeply private feud between Strickland and Chimaev, with each males relentlessly firing pictures at one another throughout interviews and social media.
This Saturday, the bitter rivals will lastly get the prospect to settle their feud contained in the Octagon when “Borz” defends his middleweight title towards Strickland in the principle occasion of UFC 328 at Prudential Heart in Newark, New Jersey.
The buildup to the combat has been crammed with relentless trash speak, private insults, and escalating threats from each camps all through UFC 328 combat week. With tensions operating dangerously excessive and considerations over a attainable altercation, the UFC considerably tightened safety and largely stored Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev separated behind the scenes.
However the second the 2 rivals lastly got here face-to-face on Thursday, chaos immediately erupted.
Sean Strickland Reacts To Khamzat Chimaev Kicking Him Throughout Tense UFC 328 Staredown
Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev lastly shared the identical stage throughout Thursday’s UFC 328 pre-fight press convention, and the hostility was fast. Earlier than both fighter may even settle into their seat, each males have been already exchanging heated phrases as safety rapidly stepped in to maintain them aside.
The strain solely intensified all through the presser, with each middleweights repeatedly hurling private and profanity-laced insults at each other. However issues really boiled over through the post-event faceoff when Chimaev out of the blue kicked Strickland, prompting safety guards and cops to right away swarm the stage and separate the 2 earlier than the state of affairs spiraled into additional chaos.
Shortly after the chaotic altercation, Strickland took to social media, claiming he had seen the incident coming all alongside whereas blasting the undefeated Chechen as a coward.
“Precisely what I anticipated a coward to do,” Strickland wrote on X.
Whereas it initially appeared that Chimaev had kicked Strickland within the knee, UFC CEO Dana White later supplied a distinct model of occasions throughout an look on Nina Marie Daniele’s KICK stream, suggesting the outspoken American was really struck within the groin.
