Khamzat Chimaev dominated the Octagon against Robert Whittaker, as he tapped ‘The Reaper’ out within the very first round. The performance that the ‘Chechen Wolf’ showed in Abu Dhabi greatly impressed the fight fans, as talks about Chimaev going up for a title fight began circling around the MMA realm. However, the former middleweight champion, Sean Strickland, wasn’t letting anyone cut in line for the title shot.

The UFC head honcho, Dana White, had previously promised ‘Tarzan’ a fight against Dricus Du Plessis. Strickland asserted this on multiple occasions. After all, nobody likes to give up on a chance to become the champion of their respective division, don’t you think? When he realized that his title shot might be in jeopardy after Chimaev’s 1st round submission victory, he reminded the fighting community once again that it was his turn to fight for the championship belt. 

Taking to X, Strickland, in his desperation, announced that he would fight DDP in early 2025. He wrote, “Understand one thing…. I am next in line….. Its been said, its been written… January/February me and [Dricus Du Plessis] are scrapping.” But he didn’t stop there! Strickland also brought up ‘Borz’s troubles with cryptocurrency and Russian citizenship. He continued, “Go back to Chechnya and wait a few months…. Wait.. sorry UAE… you’re not allowed in Chechnya…But hey crypto scams while wait.”

It was indeed a dig at the Chechen fighter’s SMASH meme coin, whose value plummeted to zero pretty quickly. Khamzat Chimaev urged his fans to buy the coin and promoted it with great enthusiasm. But in the end, the experts claimed that it was nothing but a ‘pump and dump’ that made the fans lose millions of dollars. 

Despite the financial upset he caused for the fans, the entire realm of mixed martial arts was eager to witness Chimaev’s return. And when he won his bout at UFC 308, all eyes continued to track his steps to the championship title. After all, that’s what he asked for in the post-fight interview. But is the middleweight champion ready to take on the ‘Chechen Wolf’? Let’s find out!

Khamzat Chimaev cuts in line to fight Dricus Du Plessis after UFC 308

Right after claiming the submission victory at UFC’s 20th event in Abu Dhabi, ‘Borz’ confirmed that he was aiming for the championship belt. When Daniel Cormier asked him about it, Chimaev said, “Yeah man, I’m going for the belt, that guy is, thanks bro, I love you, my brother…You’re a legend, respect that he took the fight…..Now the champion is running from me. Dana! What’s wrong with UFC man? Give me the belt!” 

But what seemed to have triggered Sean Strickland was Dricus Du Plessis’ words after the Chimaev vs. Whittaker. Taking to X, DDP wrote, “Feel really sorry for Rob he looked super ready but this is the fight game well done on a good performance Khamzat. That being said I can’t wait to take your 0.”

But whether it will be Strickland or Chimaev to go up against the middleweight champion next, is something that only time has the power to tell. Being the number 1 contender, ‘Tarzan’ should indeed be the one to fight Du Plessis next. However, the fighting realm simply can’t look past Chimaev’s undefeated record and his most recent performance. 

What do you think of Strickland’s words? Do you think Chimaev will replace him in the title game? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.