Sean Strickland doesn’t think Khamzat Chimaev deserves title shot – “To me, he’s a f—king paycheck”
UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland watched UFC 294 over the weekend, particularly the evening’s co-main event bout between undefeated middleweight Khamzat Chimaev and former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
Chimaev would go on to defeat Usman by way of majority decision at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, potentially setting himself up as a future opponent of Strickland’s.
In an interview on the UFC Fight Pass “Extra Rounds” show, Strickland discussed Chimaev as a potential challenger to his title at 185-pounds.
“The only thing I like about Chimaev is that he sells fights,” Strickland said. “For some reason, people f—king like him or don’t like him. I don’t know. To me, he’s a f—king paycheck. He sells a lot of fights. People pay to watch, but he f—king hasn’t earned it.
“He doesn’t f—-ing deserve it, but here we are. Give it to him. He sells a lot of fights. I’ll go fight the f—ing man for five rounds. But no, he’s not earned it. He doesn’t f—king deserve it. Getting a decision with a welterweight off the couch is not f—ing earning it.”
Well, it looks like @SStricklandMMA is ready for a matchup with Khamzat! #UFC294
Didn’t hold back and we wouldn’t expect him to. #ExtraRounds from the @PBR Teams Championship. pic.twitter.com/uuQPRVkOzD
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) October 22, 2023
