Sean Strickland wasted little time staking his declare to the following title alternative after Khamzat Chimaev’s dominant victory over Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319. As Chimaev secured a unanimous choice win with an ideal 50-44 rating throughout all three judges’ playing cards, Strickland took to social media.
In accordance with Strickland, he “outwrestled Chimaev within the health club” and insisted that the newfound champion ought to “sit down and wait [his] flip.” That declaration, nevertheless, was greeted by widespread skepticism – and outright laughter – amongst MMA media figures.
Khamzat Chimaev
Chimaev’s performance on the United Middle in Chicago was marked by a relentless grappling assault. He secured 12 of 17 takedown makes an attempt and managed the battle on the bottom for 21 minutes and 40 seconds out of a attainable 25. Hanging figures have been equally lopsided: Chimaev landed 529 whole strikes in comparison with Du Plessis’s 45. Even Du Plessis’s temporary revival within the fifth spherical couldn’t alter the result of a contest outlined by Chimaev’s suffocating prime management.
Sean Strickland
Within the rapid aftermath, Strickland reminded followers of his previous coaching classes with Chimaev, noting that he had “used to outwrestle him within the health club” and that Chimaev was merely “a humorous man” who talked an excessive amount of. Chimaev later shrugged off these remarks at his post-fight press convention, mentioning that Du Plessis had taken Strickland down a number of instances, difficult Strickland’s credibility as a grappler. Merely, Strickland misplaced to Du Plessis twice in shut matches, whereas Chimaev dominated the South African champion.
The response from outstanding MMA journalists present the gulf between hype and actuality. Ariel Helwani described Strickland’s callout as “not shopping for it for a second,” but welcomed the burst of exercise it generated within the middleweight division. Calling this era “very thrilling,” with fighters similar to Caio Borralho and Reinier de Ridder.
Petesy Carroll echoed that sentiment: “No person is signing up for Sean Strickland placing a grappling masterclass on Khamzat Chimaev,” however added, “this breeds numerous contemporary air into the division, and now we have a load of contenders there. Model new.”
Others within the media have been much less diplomatic. Protection by MMA Mania famous that Strickland’s insistence on his superiority over Chimaev drew ridicule, with pundits mentioning the evident discrepancy between Strickland’s boast and Chimaev’s flawless UFC debut at middleweight. Studies highlighted that Strickland suffered a shutout loss to Du Plessis of their current rematch, making his problem to the brand new champion seem much more out of step.
Strickland’s timing provides one other layer of irony: he has but to safe victory over a top-five ranked middleweight, whereas Chimaev instantly cemented his standing with an unblemished 15-0 file.
Whatever the consequence, this trade has energized the middleweight area. Chimaev’s grappling dominance has set a brand new benchmark, and Strickland’s problem has been broadly dismissed.
