UFC No. 1 contender Sean Strickland delivered harsh comments toward Chechnya-born UFC fighter Khamzat Chimaev.
Strickland has typically been an open book in terms of his political views and opinions throughout his career, which have included derogatory statements and claims about Chimaev.
Chimaev, on the other hand, has seemingly enjoyed playing the bad guy role and at times riled up the crowd with his antics.
“I’m the most dangerous guy here, I’m coming for everyone, I kill everybody! Allahu Akbar!” Chimaev told Joe Rogan in a post-fight interview at UFC 279 in 2022.
‘You should not be allowed in this country. You [sold] your soul to a terrorist dictator.’
In a recent Instagram post, Strickland lashed out at Chimaev and questioned whether or not he should be allowed in the United States due to his apparent ties to unsavory figures.
“I love how the world just over looks this guys past… Builds a life in Sweden, goes and becomes best friends with an absolute monster who pretty much bought him like a W.. then when the leash got too tight he fled to the middle east,” Strickland said, per BJPenn.com.
“You should not be allowed in this country. You [sold] your soul to a terrorist dictator… You are not compatible with America. Thank god we don’t do drone trikes in that part of the sand pit,” the middleweight continued. “Sick of the UFC forgetting it’s an American company,” Strickland added.
Strickland is perhaps making reference to Chimaev’s relationship with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who has received sanctions from the United States over the years for alleged human rights violations.
In 2020, the State Department prohibited Kadyrov, his wife, and his two daughters from traveling to the United States.
Kadyrov, a supporter of the region’s MMA athletes, has written about his conversations with Chimaev about the sport and at times seemed like he was dictating his moves.
“During our conversation, Chimaev realized how important his career is for every Chechen and promised to make every effort to recover as soon as possible,” Kadyrov wrote in 2021. “In the near future he will fly to the republic, where he will complete a rehabilitation course, hold a training camp and start training.”
In a separate statement on Instagram, Strickland also said, “Lmao ‘now buy a crypto scam with my name on it.'”
This was in reference to an ordeal in July in which Chimaev was accused of a cryptocurrency pump-and-dump scheme with a coin called Smash. Chimaev’s manager denied any connection to the coin after accusations started surfacing, despite Chimaev making a video to promote it.
Following the manager’s statements, a man claiming to be involved in the crypto team for the Smash coin said he never spoke directly to Chimaev while admitting his team owned 80% of the coin’s supply.
Strickland said at the time he has received similar offers that he turned down.
“I’ve been offered a ton of money to do this same exact thing…… Crazy man you’re rich and still try to scam your fans,” he wrote. “That was 100 percent to scam his fans.”
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Fearless, Mma, Ufc, Chechnya, Sports
