Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland, once training partners at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, now find themselves locked in an escalating war of words. With tensions boiling ahead of UFC 312’s highly anticipated middleweight title fight, their past camaraderie has been replaced by sharp exchanges, as both fighters refuse to back down.

As Strickland gears up for his rematch against Dricus Du Plessis in the UFC 312 main event, he hasn’t held back from taking shots at Chimaev, particularly targeting his political affiliations. True to his nature, ‘Borz’ wasted no time in firing back, dragging Strickland’s troubled past into the feud. Chimaev went as far as sharing a video mocking Strickland’s emotional interview with Theo Von, where the former middleweight champion opened up about the trauma he endured during his childhood.

However, former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen isn’t impressed with Chimaev’s recent antics. Sonnen believes ‘Borz’ should be focusing on the reigning champion, Du Plessis, rather than engaging in a back-and-forth with Strickland. In his recent YouTube video, Sonnen questioned Chimaev’s intentions, suggesting that he might be deliberately avoiding the South African.

“So I believe Chimaev’s next. But that hasn’t been made perfectly clear. It turns out Chimaev is not the backup fighter. Which still you think would mean he’s next but he doesn’t appear to be next. He’s not talking about championships. He is talking about Sean Strickland. Chimaev had been very aggressive going at Sean. But I don’t know if anything Chimaev had to say to Dricus. I don’t know anything that Dricus had to say to Chimaev. Like it does kind of appear that Chimaev while we think is the number one contender more over is aligning himself with Strickland,” said Sonnen.

It appears that the Chechen powerhouse would be far more interested in facing Sean Strickland—should he emerge victorious at UFC 312—rather than setting his sights on the reigning champion. Given their heated rivalry, a showdown between Chimaev and Strickland would undoubtedly deliver fireworks inside the Octagon.

While the two have been engaged in relentless social media battles, Strickland’s own coach holds a different perspective. Despite the bad blood between the fighters, Eric Nicksick has nothing but respect for Chimaev and even believes that ‘Borz’ is the rightful next contender for the middleweight title.

Sean Strickland’s coach feels Khamzat Chimaev has earned himself a title shot

Nassourdine Imavov has made one thing clear—he’s ready for his shot at UFC gold. After steadily climbing the middleweight rankings with a string of impressive performances, the French standout believes his time has come. His recent demolishing of Israel Adesanya has only reinforced his case, proving that he belongs among the division’s elite. But as top contenders jockey for position, another dangerous force lurks in the shadows—Khamzat Chimaev.

Chimaev has left an undeniable mark on the division, especially with his last dominant outing. And many believe he should be the rightful next challenger. That includes Strickland’s own coach at Xtreme Couture, Eric Nicksick, who has made his stance clear despite his fighter’s ongoing rivalry with ‘Borz.’ Speaking on Submission Radio, Nicksick stated, “Khamzat deserves it. I think he’s the boogeyman in the division. Like, he’s the guy that, like, oh, dude, this is going to be a tough matchup—a tough game plan. And he’s earned that right.”

When even your rival’s coach is advocating for you to get a title shot, it speaks volumes about the threat you pose. With UFC 312 set to shake up the middleweight division, all eyes are on what comes next. Will Chimaev get the nod for a championship fight? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!