UFC middleweight Khamzat Chimaev explained why he kicked Sean Strickland at the UFC 328 pre-fight press conference.
At Thursday’s presser, UFC president Dana White had Chimaev and Strickland face off with each other, as is customary at these media availabilities before the fight takes place. With plenty of security guards and police officers standing nearby, White did not expect anything wild to take place.
But Chimaev ended up kicking Strickland during the staredown, nearly leading to a brawl between the two rivals. Fortunately, the security guards were able to pull both men apart before something worse happened. But it was certainly risky for Chimaev to kick Strickland, knowing that any potential injury he caused could put Saturday night’s UFC 328 main event in jeopardy, meaning he would lose out on a monster payday.
OH MY GOD THIS IS INSANE 😭 #UFC328
Khamzat Chimaev Explains Viral Kick
Speaking to reporter Adam Zubayraev, Chimaev explained why he kicked Strickland at the UFC 328 pre-fight press conference.
“If I didn’t do this he’s gonna do more and more bad things. If I let him do it, he’s gonna speak about my mom, my dad, everyone. That’s why I just had to stop him,” Chimaev said.
“If I didn’t do this he’s gonna do more and more bad things.
If I let him do it, he’s gonna speak about my mom, my dad, everyone. That’s why I just had to stop him.”
(via @AdamZubayraev)
Fortunately for everyone involved, there was no injury to Strickland, as he successfully weighed in on Friday morning at the official UFC 328 weigh-ins. There have been instances in the past where fights were compromised because of fighter shenanigans before they even stepped foot in the cage, such as a famous incident between Jeremy Stephens and Drakkar Klose at the weigh-ins in 2021, where Stephens shoved Klose, and that fight was scrapped when Klose suffered an injury as a result of the push.
When the UFC had Chimaev and Strickland stare each other down at the UFC 328 weigh-ins, they were truly playing with fire. Thankfully, there were no health issues for Strickland stemming from the kick.
Khamzat Chimaev is Heavily Favored to Beat Sean Strickland at UFC 328
According to the latest betting odds, Chimaev is a huge -550 favorite to beat Strickland at UFC 328.
Given that Chimaev is undefeated with a 15-0 MMA record and has pretty much dominated everyone who has ever stepped into his path, it is understandable why he is such a big favorite to win this fight. After all, he has shown very few flaws in his game over the years, and with his elite wrestling and ground game, there is no reason to think he will lose anytime soon.
That being said, Strickland is a longtime veteran of the sport who has pulled off several huge upsets during his UFC career, such as when he beat Israel Adesanya to take the belt in 2023 in what was an incredible upset at the time. Over the years, Strickland has proven he is one of the best in the world at 185 lbs, and the fact that he was a UFC champion shows that. But as good as Strickland is, Chimaev is at another level, and that’s why the betting odds have the California shaded here as a +420 underdog despite his impressive pedigree in his 13-year UFC career.
Khamzat Chimaev Explains Kicking Sean Strickland at UFC 328 Press Conference