Aug 15, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, UNITED STATES; Khamzat Chimaev during weigh ins for UFC 319 at Radius Chicago. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

mma

Khamzat Chimaev’s Former Training Partner Declares He’s The Only Man Capable Of Dethroning Him After UFC 319 Victory

Aug 15, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, UNITED STATES; Khamzat Chimaev during weigh ins for UFC 319 at Radius Chicago. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The UFC middleweight division just witnessed a changing of the guard at UFC 319. Khamzat Chimaev dominated Dricus Du Plessis in convincing fashion to claim his first world championship. But before the new champion could even catch his breath, challengers started lining up. The most vocal of these contenders happens to be someone who knows Chimaev quite well. Sean Strickland wasted no time throwing his hat into the ring with some bold claims about his wrestling abilities.

Strickland has never been one to hold back his opinions, and this situation was no different. The former champion quickly took aim at Chimaev following his title win over Du Plessis. These two fighters have spent countless hours rolling around on wrestling mats together during training camps. That kind of familiarity breeds either respect or contempt, and in Strickland’s case, it seems to have created supreme confidence in his own abilities against the new champion.

Sean Strickland Ready To Dominate Khamzat Chimaev

Strickland got very specific about their past encounters. According to Strickland, he would regularly outwrestle Chimaev during their gym battles. He claimed that Chimaev would have a solid four minutes of wrestling before completely breaking down. Now, with the Chechen winning the belt, Strickland believes that he is the one that can end his reign.

“Im probably the only one in the UFC that can out grapple that little wh**e for 5 rounds…. Well looks like I gotta stack some Ws to fight that little bi**h lmao.”

Im probably the only one in the UFC that can out grapple that little whore for 5 rounds….

Well looks like I gotta stack some Ws to fight that little bitch lmao
— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) August 17, 2025

Strickland maintains a respectable 76% takedown defense rate, which shows he can stuff most wrestlers’ attempts to bring him down. His training partnership with Chimaev gives his claims some credibility too. When fighters train together regularly, they develop a deep understanding of each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

The timing of Strickland’s callout makes perfect sense from a career perspective. He was the last champion before Du Plessis, having dethroned Israel Adesanya back in 2023. That upset victory shocked the MMA world because nobody expected the unpolished American to outpoint the slick striker Adesanya. Strickland lost his title to Du Plessis at UFC 297 in 2024. Now he’s watching someone else hold the belt he once owned, and that has to sting a little.

But, there is a whole other side to this as well. Back when these guys were training partners, a video emerged of Strickland advising Chimaev to go easy on everyone, saying he was better than everybody there. There were also solid reports that Strickland kept getting submitted by the Chechen fighter. Now whether Strickland’s claims are true or are meant as a way to hype their potential fight, remains to be seen.

(Image Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski – Imagn Images)

Khamzat Chimaev

Sean Strickland

UFC 319

Zaid Quraishi

mma

I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!