Growing increasingly frustrated at an apparently fleeting title shot promise from the promotion, Khamzat Chimaev has ripped an attack on former titleholder, Sean Strickland at UFC 297 – pointing to prior dominant gym wins over the recent main event star.
Chimaev, the current number nine ranked middleweight contender, most recently turned in a close, majority decision win over former undisputed welterweight champion and previous pound-for-pound number one, Kamaru Usman in the pair’s short-notice co-main event clash at UFC 294 back in October.
And initially slated to make his return on the Abu Dhabi, UAE card in an officially-billed title-eliminator fight against former title challenger, Paulo Costa by UFC CEO, Dana White, Chimaev has since gone scorched-earth on the promotional boss, claiming he broke a promise of giving him a title fight in his return to the Octagon.