Fight week for Sean Strickland difficult Khamzat Chimaev in May is certain to be eventful.
After announcing the middleweight title fight that may headline UFC 328, Dana White immediately joked about hiring more security for the promotion’s return to Newark, Recent Jersey.
Each men have been known to get into physical altercations with other athletes even without the added tension of an upcoming matchup.
The comments that Strickland has made about Chimaev will undoubtedly have members of staff much more on edge than they might have been before.
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Eric Nicksick says Khamzat Chimaev’s entourage could cause issues ahead of Sean Strickland clash
Eric Nicksick said it himself that Sean Strickland facing Khamzat Chimaev is more about bragging rights than it’s in regards to the middleweight title.
The American’s coach has said that he isn’t sure when the training sessions between them turned from a positive experience to a rivalry.
While he doesn’t consider that Chimaev would throw professionalism out of the window after the whole lot that’s been said, it won’t just be ‘Borz’ who will need to make Strickland pay for his comments.
“They’re gonna receives a commission to fight, so you would possibly as well put it aside for the fight, ? To be honest with you, I believe Khamzat and Sean can be skilled in that regard,” Nicksick told Submission Radio. “I’d worry in regards to the entourage. You already know what I mean? Like, any individual that’s in the gang or something like that, they see Sean. That’s how these guys attempt to make a reputation for themselves, ?”
Strickland’s long-time coach at Xtreme Couture has often distanced himself from the controversial things that his fighter is thought for saying.
When asked how he intends to do that during a highly-anticipated fight week, Nicksick jokingly told Submission Radio that he’ll lock himself in his hotel room, put a pillow over his head and “stay out of trouble”.
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Khamzat Chimaev’s coach believes he’s a unique person now than the ‘animal’ he was once
Khamzat Chimaev’s intensity was an enormous a part of why he became a star immediately after arriving within the UFC.
Nevertheless, in his recent bouts, fans have seen a unique side to ‘Borz’, who appears to be much more relaxed and composed throughout fight weeks.
His coach, Alan Nascimento, believes that his fighter went through a large change before he faced Robert Whittaker in 2024 as a result of the birth of his son.
“That specific yr was when the whole lot switched because his son was born one yr ago,” Nascimento told MMA Today earlier this yr. “Right before that fight, Khamzat’s son needed to get surgery. I knew the whole lot was okay with him, but individuals who didn’t follow that were apprehensive.
“Before, he had an animal inside him that was controlling him. Now he’s mature enough to still have that monster inside him, but he controls it. Then he went and fought Robert Whittaker, and everybody saw what happened.”