Sean Strickland targets champion Khamzat Chimaev after stopping Hernandez
Sean Strickland has reignited his feud with UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev after stopping Anthony Hernandez to close in on a title shot.
The American delivered a dominant performance in Houston on Saturday, securing a third-round TKO victory.
This result ended Hernandez’s eight-fight winning streak and positioned the victor for a potential return to the division’s summit.
However, attention quickly turned to his former training partner and current titleholder, with whom he shares a volatile history.
Strickland disputes training rumours
Speaking at the post-fight press conference, the 34-year-old addressed previous claims that he had been submitted by the Russian during past sparring sessions.
He firmly denied tapping out, insisting they were merely engaging in positional grappling at the time.
“I made him quit training. Witnesses in the audience, where’s Eric [Nicksick, coach] at? I made him quit.”
The former champion dismissed suggestions that Chimaev had dominated him, claiming the narrative was false.
‘He is a bully’
The feud between the two escalated as the Californian accused the champion of selecting weaker sparring partners to boost his ego.
He claimed the unbeaten fighter purposefully avoids tough challenges in the gym.
“Every time Chimaev would walk in the gym, he would pick the smallest, lowest-level pro. He would pick the smallest guy. Chimaev’s a bully.”
The former belt-holder also criticised his rival’s performance against Gilbert Burns in 2022, suggesting the close decision victory exposed flaws in his game.
He argued that Chimaev’s recent talk of moving weight classes is a tactic to avoid difficult matchups in his current division.
The middleweight title picture
Chimaev is currently expected to defend his crown against Nassourdine Imavov, though no official bout has been confirmed.
The champion has also expressed interest in moving up to light-heavyweight to challenge Alex Pereira.
Yet Strickland’s emphatic return to the win column makes a strong case for a title opportunity.
He previously held the belt from September 2023 until January 2024 before losing it to Dricus du Plessis.