Chechen UFC middleweight fighter Khamzat Chimaev spoke about sparring with American middleweight division champion Sean Strickland and his desire to fight him.
I choked and punched Strickland. He's a good fighter, a spirited guy. If you compare us technically, I'm on another level in both wrestling, grappling and standup. But he's a real fighter, he's going to press on, just like me. I want to fight him. Even though we've been training with him, we haven't had any fights in the gym, just training. He's okay.
Recall, on October 21 at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, Chimaev will fight Kamaru Usman.
Usman, 36, last entered the octagon in March 2023 at UFC 286, losing to Leon Edwards by majority decision. He has 20 wins and three losses on his record.
Chimaev, 29, had his last fight in September 2022 at UFC 279, defeating Kevin Holland by submission (D'arce choke) in the first round. He has 12 wins and no losses under his belt.