Overview

• Sean Strickland branded Khamzat Chimaev mentally weak and accused him of cherry-picking opponents in recent interviews.
• Chimaev responded by publicly inviting Strickland to meet him face-to-face in Los Angeles.
• The rivalry dates to Chimaev’s brief training stint at Strickland’s Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas.
• The exchange has escalated across media scrums and social media posts days before Chimaev’s middleweight title bout with Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319.
• Chimaev said he prefers to settle conflicts in the octagon rather than through insults by extending the face-off invitation.