Khamzat Chimaev is on fire right now, refusing to hold back as he aims at Sean Strickland. While Dana White has confirmed a middleweight clash between Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis, giving ‘Tarzan’ a shot at redemption, Chimaev finds himself waiting for his next opponent after an impressive victory over Robert Whittaker.

Tensions between Chimaev and Strickland have been simmering, especially as both fighters were in contention to face Du Plessis. Their online feud has now escalated dramatically. This time, Chimaev took a controversial approach by dragging controversial rapper P. Diddy into the mix. He posted a photo of the rapper on social media with the caption, “@sinistrikilad this is your father?”—a jab aimed at Strickland.

Sean Strickland is no stranger to making bold and sometimes controversial remarks, often targeting fellow fighters with unfiltered jabs. However, this time around, it’s ‘Tarzan’ who is on the receiving end of a few punches—metaphorically speaking—from Chimaev.

The back-and-forth escalated when Chimaev posted a video of Strickland in the octagon, throwing knee kicks. Chimaev, never one to miss an opportunity for some playful trash talk, mocked Strickland by sharing the clip along with a laughing emoji and the caption, “good luck.” He followed it up with another post, saying, “Say sorry again,” continuing to tease Strickland, who is set to face Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312.

Chimaev had initially expected to be matched up with the South African, but those plans fell through. Surprisingly, Robert Whittaker, who was defeated by Chimaev, has expressed more support for the Chechen-born fighter than for Strickland. It seems that while Strickland is gearing up for a big fight, Chimaev is more than ready to stir the pot and add fuel to this ongoing rivalry.

Robert Whittaker picks Chimaev ahead of Strickland for 185lbs title shot

Robert Whittaker has made it clear where his loyalties lie. Despite his own injuries at the hands of ‘Borz’, Whittaker rejected Sean Strickland’s chances and instead vouched for Chimaev, suggesting that the undefeated Chechen should be the next one to face Dricus Du Plessis.

In an interview on the MMArcade podcast, Whittaker expressed, “I think you [Khamzat] should go straight to Dricus. I don’t think sitting out should be rewarded ever, right? But not my call.” The former middleweight champion’s respect for Chimaev’s dominant performance is evident, and he believes the Chechen deserves the shot more than Strickland.

Though Chimaev’s victory over Whittaker was dominant, it wasn’t something he savored. He has expressed before, “I don’t want to fight with good guys, I need some bad guys,” hinting that taking on someone like Whittaker wasn’t as fulfilling as facing someone with a more heated rivalry.

However, Dana White has already set the stage for UFC 312, where Strickland will face Dricus Du Plessis for the middleweight title. The question now is, who will come out on top? Will Strickland bounce back and regain the title against Du Plessis, or will DDP continue his rise and prove that he belongs at the top of the division? Only time will tell, but fans are eagerly awaiting this high-stakes showdown.