LAS VEGAS – Sean Strickland’s sole focus at this point in his career is to take the UFC middleweight championship off Khamzat Chimaev.
Former titleholder Strickland (29-7 MMA, 16-7 UFC) is not expecting to be handed that fight now. He knows he has to earn it after losing his rematch to then-champ Dricus Du Plessis in February, and Anthony Hernandez is the obvious opponent to get him there.
Hernandez (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) is riding a nine-fight winning streak inside the octagon at 185 pounds, and his grappling-heavy style has some similar traits to unbeaten Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC). For Strickland, that would prove he is capable of defeating the champ.
“I would imagine me and ‘Fluffy’ might be going at it. I imagine that is the fight to make,” Strickland told MMA Junkie on Monday. “I don’t want (Israel Adesanya). I’m not going to fight Izzy. I think it’s the easier fight for me, but I want to fight that little Chechen whore. I want to fight somebody like ‘Fluffy.’ He puts me in title contention, especially with him, because all he does (is grapple). He’s like the American Chimaev.
“If I just go and outwrestle that f*cker for five rounds, it’s like, ‘All right, f*ck you, whore. Go beat your cans and let me know when you’re ready.’ That’s what I’m looking for. More fights that put me back in the title. I’m one of the best grapplers in the UFC. I just don’t get to do it, but I’m one of the best grapplers in the UFC. The reason I want to fight him out of anybody is just to say, ‘All right, 25 minutes of the American Chimaev.'”
Strickland, 34, said he is waiting for UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard to call with his next fight assignment, but there is some clerical work to get through. He is currently serving a suspension with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) for storming the cage at a regional event in Las Vegas and throwing punches at an athlete who had submitting a fighter he was cornering.
Strickland’s suspension expires on Dec. 29, but the timeframe can be reduced to Nov. 15 if he completes anger management training. He said he has not completed that but would if UFC offers him a fight date before the end of 2025.
“If Mick offers me a fight, I’ll probably do it all,” Strickland said. “But if I don’t do it, I’ll be up December. It would be a January card.”
