Khamzat Chimaev may boast an undefeated 15-0 record as he approaches UFC 328 in Newark, New Jersey. However, one of his former teammates has now issued a warning to ‘Borz’ about his first title defense against Sean Strickland, suggesting it could turn out to be highly competitive.
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Speaking about the UFC 328 matchup, Chimaev’s former training partner, Darren Till, revealed that the challenger, Strickland, could actually have a real chance to beat ‘Borz’ in the main event.
“Anyone’s beatable, look,” Till told Full Mount MMA. “Obviously, he knows that himself. That’s why he trains so hard. He’s not stupid. Right now, with the current state of the middleweight division, I don’t see anyone maybe beating him. Maybe Sean’s probably got the best chance, if that. But in this era now? No. I think he’s going to be too dominant for the middleweight.”
Khamzat Chimaev and Darren Till have been training partners for years. The Liverpudlian joined ‘Borz’s camp back in 2022, when he was still an active fighter in the UFC. However, after suffering a string of losses, ‘The Gorilla’ chose to part ways with Dana White’s promotion and shift his focus to boxing. Since then, Till has not been training with Chimaev actively, though the two still share a cordial relationship. Still, that is not the only reason the Englishman is backing his friend to remain dominant.
So far, oddsmakers have listed Chimaev as a massive favorite against Sean Strickland to retain his middleweight title in Newark. However, ‘Tarzan’ has received notable backing from several prominent MMA figures. For instance, Strickland’s Xtreme Couture teammate, Francis Ngannou, revealed that he has been focused on sharpening his wrestling to counter Chimaev’s threat.
The first BMF champion, Jorge Masvidal, also suggested that Strickland has improved his wrestling by going toe to toe with Olympians in preparation for the fight. Adding to the growing list of ‘Tarzan’ believers, veteran UFC analyst and former American Top Team coach Din Thomas also pointed out that the Nevada native could match up well against Chimaev. Thomas based his view on Strickland’s recent performance against Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston, another opponent with a wrestling-heavy style.
🤔 Darren Till says Sean Strickland has the best chances at beating Khamzat Chimaev in the Middleweight division: "Anyone's beatable. Khamzat knows that himself, that's why he trains so hard, he is not stupid. I don't see anyone beating him, but maybe Sean has got the best Show more
With the UFC 328 headliner now looking far less one-sided, one of Chimaev’s current teammates has shared a detail that once again highlights the Chechen-Emirati champion’s unwavering self-belief in his abilities.
Arman Tsarukyan reveals Khamzat Chimaev doesn’t study his opponents before a fight
Tape study might just be the best preparation a fighter can do. Petr Yan and his camp came up with flowcharts to counter Merab Dvalishvili in their rematch in December last year. But Chimaev could not care less about it.
According to his teammate and lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan, the reigning middleweight champion does not watch any tape ahead of his fights, and that approach remains unchanged as he prepares to face Sean Strickland at UFC 328.
“He has a different mindset,” Tsarukyan said on the PBD Podcast. “He never watches his opponent’s fights. He doesn’t care what they’re going to do. This guy doesn’t even know what Strickland does or what his opponents do. He never watches them and doesn’t care what they’re going to do. He cares about what he’s going to do to them. So, he has his own game plan focused on what he’s going to do. That’s why he’s different.”
That level of self-belief usually comes from consistently dominating opponents inside the cage, and for Chimaev, that has often been the case. In that case, Chimaev himself revealed that he doesn’t watch his opponent’s tapes before the UFC 319 fight. ‘Borz’ has defeated most of his opponents with relative ease, although Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman managed to push him into competitive fights.
For a fighter as physically imposing as Chimaev, this is unlikely to backfire. But at the highest levels of fighting, in-cage IQ and mid-fight adjustments can become the difference between winning and losing. Strickland’s camp will be prepared for Chimaev’s style. If the Chechen cannot switch things up, in case he needs it, he could run into some serious trouble.
Can Sean Strickland become the one to give Khamzat Chimaev his toughest test at UFC 328?
