“Beating Somebody Up in the Training Room Doesn’t Mean Sh*t” – MMA Veteran Lashes Out at Khamzat Chimaev’s Controversial Sean Strickland Rant

Sean Strickland is still the talk of the town despite losing the title. He had a meteoric rise in the UFC in the last few years. Moreover, last year, he was crowned as the middleweight champion after defeating  Israel Adesanya. However, his reign as a champion was short-lived as he was dethroned by Dricus du Plessis this past weekend at UFC 297. Post his defeat, his former training partner, Khamzat Chimaev had some harsh words for him.

In an interview with ESPN, he claimed that he used to get the better of the former champion in their sparring sessions. Witnessing this, a former UFC star couldn’t help himself but lash out at the undefeated fighter.

Former fighter gives a brutal reality check to Khamzat Chimaev

Josh Thompson, a retired UFC fighter remains associated with the sport by advancing his opinions on the, ‘Weighing In’ podcast. In a recent interview, he did not welcome the comments made by Chimaev and revealed that he is not much of a fan, “I mean, I have said it over and over. I am not sold on him yet, I think he’s a great fighter. He is a good fighter. I am not sold on him yet. I wanna see more.” Moreover, he claims that one should be able to prove one’s skillset in the cage under the UFC banner and not in the gym. He added, “He talks specifically about fighters and I used to beat up in the training room. That’s not how we do around here.”

In addition, he believes that Chimaev was not as good as he thought he was and it was evident from some of his performances against the likes of Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman. However, for all we know, Chimaev is set to make a return to the cage and it might be against the champion that defeated Strickland.

Chimaev to fight for the middleweight title?

Chimaev was speculated to face Sean Strickland for the title. However, it now appears that he might have to face Dricus Du Plessis, and he is eager for it. In a recent interview, he called out the middleweight champion on X, and even decided when that would be – UFC 300.

He stated, “See you soon biplisi ufc300.”  The likelihood of this fight at UFC 300 is minimal given the champion just fought and UFC 300 is around the corner. Not to mention, before the fight, the champion himself did not consider Chimaev as a potential opponent, as he considered the undefeated prospect not deserving of a title shot.

Watch This Story: Khamzat Chimaev Laughs Off Jon Jones’ Advice for Him

During the UFC 297 post-fight press conference, Du Plessis said of Chimaev, “Who takes that guy seriously anyways?” ‘Stillknocks’ made his stance clear stating he wanted to fight contenders deserving of the title shot, like former champion Israel Adesanya.

Nevertheless, Chimaev still has the promise he got from Dana White for a title shot. Will he get one? Only time can reveal. But, we are curious to know from you, do you think he deserves to fight for the belt? Share with us your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.

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