Marlon Vera has four-word reaction to Khamzat Chimaev claiming he "beat" Sean Strickland up in the gym

UFC middleweight Khamzat Chimaev was met with a stern response from bantamweight challenger Marlon Vera over his comments about former champion Sean Strickland.

In an interview with Brett Okamoto for ESPN MMA, Chimaev was questioned about his relative inexperience at 185 pounds, which has previously seen the likes of Strickland dismiss him as a deserving title challenger.

Chimaev hit back by claiming to have beaten Strickland "every day" when the pair trained together at Xtreme Couture. He also alleged that 'Tarzan' sought refuge in his coach, who requested 'Borz' to go easier on his fighter.

Chimaev said:

“Ask the guy [Strickland] who was beating him up every day in the gym. How many times I submit the guy? How many times I beat him up? He went to his coach, ‘Please tell the guy, go easy...’ He’s lying man. When I went too hard, he went to his coach and said, ‘Please tell this guy go easy.’”

Check out Khamzat Chimaev's comments about beating Sean Strickland in the clip below:

Marlon 'Chito' Vera commented on an Instagram post of Chimaev's comments and called the Chechen-born fighter out over his claims. Vera stated that training sessions do not count for bragging rights.

He wrote:

"Training doest count bud."

Check out Marlon Vera's comment in the screenshot below:

Marlon Vera reacts to Khamzat Chimaev's comments on beating Sean Strickland in training.

Vera will be challenging his former opponent Sean O'Malley for the bantamweight championship at UFC 299. The rematch will be his first title shot in 10 years under the UFC banner.

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Khamzat Chimaev calls out CEO Dana White on his title shot promise

Khamzat Chimaev believes he deserves to be the next challenger for the middleweight title.

He cited Dana White's promise of a title shot after his fight against former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman at UFC 294. 'Borz' questioned White backtracking on his word and demanded his shot.

He told Okamoto:

"They promised me, that after the Usman fight, I will for sure fight for the title. I won that fight, so I don't know what's going on. I heard Dana White say, 'I don't think Khamzat is next for the title.' That's bullsh*t, man. If you promise me something, you have to answer it. I’m the guy who always answers for my words so I don’t care if it’s some president or something, like a king. If you give me your word, you have to answer for that."

Check out Khamzat Chimaev's comments below (4:00):