"Sean gets steamrolled by both" - Sean Strickland's word of caution to Khamzat Chimaev backfires in the comments section

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland's recent comments regarding Khamzat Chimaev have seemingly backfired on him. Presently, the undefeated Chimaev is scheduled to face former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in a pivotal middleweight matchup at UFC 294 on October 21, 2023.

Chimaev was initially booked to fight Paulo Costa at UFC 294. However, Costa had to withdraw from their showdown owing to health issues related to his elbow surgery. Around 10 days prior to UFC 294, the UFC roped in Usman as a short-notice replacement to face Chimaev.

Addressing the Chimaev-Usman fight, UFC CEO Dana White had suggested that its winner would receive the next title shot against UFC middleweight kingpin Strickland.

In a recent edition of his podcast, "The Man Dance", Sean Strickland discussed the upcoming Chimaev-Usman bout. Strickland indicated that Usman accepted the short-notice matchup primarily due to the lucrative pay that'll likely come with it.

'Tarzan' further implied that since Usman hadn't been bulking up for a middleweight debut and wasn't even in a full-fledged training camp, 'Borz' ought to "steamroll" him.

Sean Strickland emphasized that if Khamzat Chimaev doesn't steamroll Kamaru Usman, it'll reflect poorly on 'Borz.' The MMA world has now responded to Strickland's remarks and lambasted him for the same. Some fans alluded to the fact that 'Tarzan' was dominantly defeated via unanimous decision by Usman in their welterweight bout back in 2017.

Taking to Twitter (X), many pointed out that Strickland was soundly beaten by an up-and-coming version of Usman. Others opined that 'Tarzan' would get steamrolled by both Usman and Chimaev, adding that the latter is the middleweight champion's "worst nightmare."

Furthermore, some fans highlighted that the UFC attempted to get Strickland to fight Chimaev on short notice after Costa's withdrawal from UFC 294. They asserted that Strickland turned down the opportunity to face 'Borz' at the UFC 294 event. Besides, seemingly suggesting that 'Tarzan' would be decisively beaten by both Chimaev and Usman, one fan tweeted:

"Sean gets steamrolled by both anyways"

Check out a few screenshots of the fan reactions to Strickland's comments below:

Screenshots of fan reactions

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Khamzat Chimaev's remarks about Kamaru Usman mirror that of Sean Strickland's

During a fight-week media scrum in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Khamzat Chimaev echoed similar sentiments as Sean Strickland did about Kamaru Usman. Akin to Strickland, Chimaev speculated that 'The Nigerian Nightmare' had agreed to their short-notice fight at UFC 294 purely for financial reasons.

Moreover, 'Borz' appeared to indicate that Kamaru Usman is facing him simply because he (Chimaev) is a star and that fighting him would mean competing in a money fight. Khamzat Chimaev also explained that the fight between him and Usman has long been a dream matchup in the UFC realm. Chimaev said:

"Of course [people are more excited for Chimaev-Usman than Chimaev-Costa], because since day one I get to the UFC, everyone spoke about Khamzat-Usman, Khamzat-Usman... Usman is a fighter like me, but he’s the old version. I’m new, different."

Watch Chimaev's assessment below (3:11):