Former middleweight champion Sean Strickland is eyeing another shot at the 185-pound championship fresh off his UFC Houston TKO win over Anthony Hernandez. Strickland's former training partner turned bitter rival Khamzat Chimaev holds the middleweight crown but is considering moving up to the light heavyweight division.
UFC CEO Dana White all but shot down Chimaev moving to the 205-pound weight class during the UFC Houston Post-Fight Press Conference last weekend. Strickland shares the same sentiment as White.
"The guy is just a f*cking clown, dude. I mean, you want to talk about a clown? You fought once in the middleweight division. You're moving up to fight an easier fight," Strickland told Full Send MMA. "And that's what's he's doing. He's moving up to fight an easier fight. The 205 division is soft as f*ck right now."
"You're picking a really easy path. You're not a double champ," continued Strickland. "You've won the belt once. Like, if the UFC grants that request, it'll be a f*cking clown show and I hope they don't."
The undefeated Chimaev won the middleweight championship at UFC 319 last August. "Borz" dominated then-titleholder Dricus du Plessis in one of the most one-sided title bouts in the promotion's history. Without defending the 185-pound belt, Strickland doesn't think Chimaev deserves a title fight in the light heavyweight division.
"I hope the UFC tells him to go f*ck himself. That's the right thing to do," Strickland said. "He doesn't deserve it. He's only fought for the belt once. The UFC should can it."