Khamzat ‘Borz’ Chimaev is one of the middleweight contenders in the UFC. Meanwhile, Sean Strickland is the former middleweight champ who recently lost his belt to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297. Both fighters share great camaraderie. However, with the rise in competition, the banters in the division also rose. Chimaev recently teased fans about leaking a training session video with Strickland.
Sean Strickland claimed he had dominated the Russian-Swedish fighter in a sparring session. Unfortunately for the former middleweight champion, Chimaev has addressed the situation. In an interview with Aslanbek Badaev, Borz discussed the ‘reality’ of what occurred during his sparring session with Strickland.
There were a lot of guys around who saw me choking him and beating him up…We also have some unfinished business. It would be good to see who’s better inside the octagon…
Khamzat Chimaev via Aslanbek Badaev YouTube channel
According to Chimaev, not only did he end up beating Strickland, but he had someone record the whole session. The former UFC middleweight champ, Sean Strickland, is known for his hours and hours of sparring aggressively. Borz is no different in this regard. However, Chimaev is an exceptionally good fighter with an undefeated record in the UFC.
⚡️ Khamzat Chimaev says he has unfinished business with Sean Strickland and that they need to get into the octagon.
He claims that Strickland’s claims of getting the better of him during their sparring sessions are false, and that it was actually Khamzat who was choking… pic.twitter.com/7REDaUB9PO
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) July 18, 2024
Strickland has sparred with many others, including UFC lightweight champion Alex Pereira. Sometimes, he gets the better of them; sometimes, he doesn’t. That said, nobody knows what they can trust unless one of these two men releases a video. Speaking of trust, Khamzat Chimaev has also explained his reasons for withdrawing from the fight in Saudi Arabia.
Khamzat Chimaev talks about his illness
Khamzat Chimaev has been out of the cage since his majority decision victory over Kamaru Usman last October. The bout was labeled as a title eliminator heading into the matchup. However, Khamzat Chimaev didn’t get a shot at gold following the win. Instead, Borz was given a main event against Robert Whittaker, set for June in Saudi Arabia.
Khamzat Chimaev had to withdraw from UFC Saudi Arabia card (via X)However, the fight didn’t happen. A week out of the fight night, Borz came down with an illness and was forced to withdraw. As a result, Ikram Aliskerov stepped up and was handed a first-round knockout by ‘The Reaper.’ In a recent interview uploaded by Aslanbek Badaev, he revealed that his immunity had taken a swan dive. He wanted to rest, but even that wasn’t nearly good enough.
My Immunity had dropped very much and we wanted to rest a little bit, for a week. I rested and I did not come to my senses… I ended up in the hospital and, to be honest, had severe headaches.
Khamzat Chimaev via Aslanbek Badaev YouTube channel
Khamzat Chimaev claims that the reason for his sudden illness was stress. He also claims that he had to make the trip to the hospital twice after the condition relapsed. Doctors advised him to rest for three weeks and not fight. However, when he learned the news, he was disheartened. Recently, he expressed that he is eyeing his return for the UFC Abu Dhabi card in October.
Khamzat Chimaev talks his withdrawal from the Robert Whittaker fight:
“My immunity had dropped very much and we wanted to rest a little bit, for a week. I rested and I did not come to my senses.
I ended up in the hospital and, to be honest, had severe headaches.”
🎥 Aslanbek… pic.twitter.com/Iy1X4zSp25
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 18, 2024
The UFC CEO had plans to make money fights with him. Now, his inactivity seems to be fading away. Recently, Borz has made it clear that when he returns, he is coming for the title. Now, it remains to be what Dana White and the UFC feel about giving Khamzat Chimaev a title shot.
