The war of words between Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev in the build up to UFC 328 had a lot of people wondering if we might see someone actually get shot inside the octagon it was that heated. However, once the cage door shut, the two men touched gloves, hugged it out at the end of the fight, and when Strickland dethroned Chimaev to become the new champion, Chimaev even went as far as to wrap the belt around the new champion’s waist.
Considering extra security had to be drafted in to make sure the two men didn’t kill each other pre-fight, people naturally had questions regarding the legitimacy of their beef, and at the UFC 328 post-show press conference, Strickland admitted that he’s all out of hate, for now at least. “I go f****** so hard on everybody, and there’s always truth to what I say…but at the end of the day man, all the hate, all the hate’s out of me. I need the hate battery charged so I need a couple of days.”
Later, Strickland appeared on the UFC 328 post show on Paramount+ where he was asked about Chimaev and their beef, to which Strickland essentially admitted that they both played up the feud to promote the fight. “I think Chimaev being Chechen, they have a lot of pride. So you know me, you guys know me, I say things some people might be offended, but I’m just joking. So sometimes I think he probably didn’t get my humor you know? From that part of the world, so he’s a good guy man, but we’re in the game of fighting. Would you guys really want me to go out there and be like ‘Yeah dude Chimaev is a really nice guy, let’s go and have a nice little fight?’ No you want me to go and mother f*** this guy. I do it for you guys…The guy’s a good dude.”
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