The beef between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland is among the worst in UFC history, so says Dana White.
On Saturday, Chimaev and Strickland will battle it out for the middleweight title in the main event of UFC 328, and the lead-up to the fight has been anything but smooth. For weeks, Strickland and Chimaev have fired at one another through the media, issuing death threats and ridiculing everything from their faith to their upbringings, with it all boiling over at the pre-fight press conference on Thursday, when Chimaev kicked Strickland during their faceoff.
Needless to say, this has become one of the most intense feuds in UFC history, and according to UFC CEO Dana White, it’s close to the top.
“It was what I expected, White told Nina Drama on her Kick stream on Thursday when asked about the press conference. “It was great. Highly anticipated fight, finally going to happen on Saturday. …
“All that really matters is that the fight is a good fight. But sometimes, guys are very respectful, and they’re chill and whatever. And sometimes they’re today. The great thing about press conferences is there’s a wide range. It’s not all the same shit all the time. But for this one, this is one of the worst cases of bad blood ever. I put it No. 2 on the all-time list.”
That begs the question: What is No. 1? White gives that honor to the nasty rivalry between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, which, among other things, saw Conor McGregor throw a dolly through a bus window, and Nurmagomedov jump out of the cage, inciting a brawl after their fight.
“Conor-Khabib No. 1,” White said. “And the only reason Conor-Khabib is No. 1 is Brooklyn, and then what happened after the fight. … We made some mistakes, obviously, leading up to that fight and after that fight. And we won’t do that again.”
Those two are far from the only feuds in UFC history, though, and as White was asked to offer his top five, he then changed his mind about Chimaev and Strickland taking the silver medal, instead bumping them down to third place, behind the seemingly never-ending beef between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier.
“[Jones and Cormier] is a good one,” White said when prompted to remember their many altercations. “That’s a good point. Complete fistfight in the middle of the MGM Grand. Actually, you’re right. … That’s probably No. 2. I forgot there was a fist fight in the lobby of the MGM while people were checking into their hotel.
“I would put [Chimaev vs. Strickland] at 3. I would put Rampage [Jackson] and Rashad [Evans] up there. Tito [Ortiz] and [Ken Shamrock] would have to be up there.”
Of course, the weekend is far from over, and there’s always the chance that Chimaev and Strickland will continue to fan the flames of their feud and rise in the rankings. But after the altercation during their faceoff on Thursday, White believes that’s as bad as things will get this week.
“I had his arm, Khamzat’s arms, and I didn’t think he’d kick him,” White said. “I didn’t think he was going to do anything. I thought it was going to be a lot of yelling and back-and-forth.
“That’s the most we will fail this weekend. That’s the most we will fail.”
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