MMA coach Eric Nicksick lately supplied perception into the rivalry between former UFC champion Sean Strickland and star Khamzat Chimaev. Regardless of their heated trash-talking exchanges outdoors the octagon, Nicksick emphasised that the 2 fighters shared a respectful dynamic when coaching collectively within the fitness center.
Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland Coaching Collectively
Strickland, who will look to reclaim his middleweight title at UFC 312 in opposition to Dricus du Plessis, has been vocal about his rivalry with Chimaev. Chimaev, a dominant pressure within the division, has made no secret of his need for a title shot, which has fueled the strain between the 2. Strickland introduced up his ties to Ramzan Kadyrov and claims Khamzat Chimaev is a faux Muslim.
“They’re probably messaging each other, telling, you know, what they’re going to say next. Who knows?” Nicksick commented in an interview with Submission Radio, “But yeah, they seem like they got along just fine when they were training at the gym.”
The trash discuss, which has included public jabs from each side, appears to be a strategy to construct the hype for his or her potential future showdown. In accordance with Nicksick, nevertheless, their fitness center interactions have been removed from hostile.
“I loved having Khamzat in the gym. I loved having Darren Till in the gym,” Nicksick continued. “They elevated the game. Maybe you have to kind of build that bad blood amongst one another to go out and fight. But, you know, as far as I saw, when they were training together, everything was good.”
Russia’s Khamzat Chimaev seems on throughout his Middleweight bout with Nigeria’s Kamaru Usman within the Final Combating Championship 294 (UFC) occasion on the Etihad Area in Abu Dhabi on October 21, 2023. (Picture by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Picture by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP through Getty Pictures)
Sean Strickland will look to avenge his split-decision loss to du Plessis from UFC 297, whereas Khamzat Chimaev continues to make waves within the division, believing that he deserves his personal shot on the title. Followers eagerly await whether or not their rivalry will attain its boiling level contained in the octagon or stay a confrontation in the interim.
