Sean Strickland wants Khamzat Chimaev next if he regains belt

Sean Strickland will have multiple big-fight options on the table if he regains the middleweight title from Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312, but there’s one he wants above all.

Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) will rematch Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in the main event of the Feb. 8 card at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+), and has the complete expectation he will take back the strap he lost by split decision just over one year ago at UFC 297.

If that’s the case, Strickland could be looking at multiple potential matchups for the first title defense of his second reign. A trilogy with Du Plessis could come into play, a matchup with undefeated contender Khamzat Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), or perhaps a rematch with Israel Adesanya if he beats Nassourdine Imavov in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 250 headliner.

Strickland minced no words about which one of those possibilities is most compelling for both personal and financial reasons.

“Big C*mshot (Chimaev),” Strickland told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “He’s a Chechnyan f*cking whore. Anybody who fights that guy is going to get a f*cking paycheck, dude. The f*cking Chechynyan whore.”

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UFC CEO Dana White told MMA Junkie following UFC 311 that he expects Chimaev to challenge the Du Plessis vs. Strickland winner after UFC 312.

The hype around “The Wolf” is at a high after he dominated Robert Whittaker for the 2024 Submission of the Year at UFC 308 in October. Strickland doesn’t think Chimaev is all that, though, and would relish the chance to show that to the world inside the octagon.

“He went hard and he fought a f*cking guy who came out really f*cking flat and doesn’t give a f*ck,” Strickland said. “Rob is known to either be a f*cking superstar or a f*cking can, and he was a f*cking can. He was just met with too much pressure. After I’m done with f*cking Chimaev he’s fucking to go back to peddling f*cking crypto scams.

“Can Chimaev fight? Yeah. He can fight. But you’re not a f*cking man. I know you’re not a man. You know you’re not a man. The whole world knows you’re not a f*cking man.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.