Houston – Sean Strickland put on one of his best performances in the main event of UFC Houston on Saturday, defeating Anthony Hernandez in the third round in a near-flawless performance.
That has put Strickland back in the mix atop 185 pounds, where champion Khamzat Chimaev hasn’t fought since capturing the title against Dricus Du Plessis last August.
Asked at UFC Houston about a matchup with “Borz,” who is expected to face Nassourdine Imavov next, Strickland (30-7) was his usual candid, colorful self. “Who wants to see two little goat fuckers play? You want to see a real American fight this little Chechen whore on American soil.”
“This is the fight that needs to happen,” he added.
Where it might happen is another question. According to Dana White, the UFC has now set the lineup for the White House card in June, although it has not yet been announced.
“Who knows, dude? Maybe I should deal with Epstein or something. I guarantee Chimaev is going to a damn island,” Strickland told media outlets including Cageside Press. “Those bastards who work all day, that dirty bastard.”
Strickland then suggested that the source of his feud with the UFC middleweight champion went back to the pair’s training together.
“I made him stop training. Witnesses in the audience were there. I made him stop,” Strickland revealed. “We were doing positional wrestling, and he f*cking, positional wrestling. ‘Okay, start on my back.’ It was like the first round, and I let him choke me. Because no one gives a fuck. Let me tell you about this little bitch. If I walk into a gym, do you think I’m going to find the smallest, weakest guy and say, ‘let’s spar?’ No, I’m going to find the biggest, baddest motherfucker and say, ‘Hey, I want to spar you.’
In contrast, Strickland continued, “every time Chimaev walked into a gym, he would pick the smallest professional from the lowest level and say, ‘but oh, he looks like my opponent.’ You beat the hell out of him. This is a true story. He would choose the smallest boy.”
“Chimaev is a bully. When you see what he does in the division, he just runs away and hides. ‘Now I want to go to 205 and fight Jiri’ [Prochazka]’, who isn’t even the champion. You just run and hide. You did it when you trained with us, and you’re doing it with the damn division.
Khamzat Chimaev has been hinting at a move to light heavyweight lately. However, UFC CEO and President Dana White said Saturday that he would prefer the champion defend his title before any possible move. Whether that fight comes against Imavov or Strickland remains to be seen.
Watch the full UFC Houston post-fight press conference with Sean Strickland above.
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