UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev (15-0) posted sparring footage of himself and Sean Strickland (30-7) from their time as teammates at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, firing back at the former champion’s claim that he ‘bullied’ training partners at the gym.
The pair fight for the UFC middleweight title at UFC 328 in Newark on Saturday. Security has kept the two separated following Strickland’s threat to ‘shoot’ Chimaev and his team if they crossed paths. The bad blood is a sharp contrast to their earlier relationship. The two once trained side by side and spoke positively about each other’s toughness in the gym. That changed when Strickland publicly criticised Chimaev for going too hard with inexperienced sparring partners — labelling it bullying. Chimaev responded by letting the footage speak for itself, although it did not reveal too much, with both fighters trying to work each other out.
I am bullying weak people 😂 pic.twitter.com/dVVM3wTxpg
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) May 5, 2026