Sean Strickland Says Khamzat Chimaev Doesn’t Deserve Title Shot, ‘Hasn’t Earned It’

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UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland wasn’t impressed with Khamzat Chimaev’s performance on Saturday night.

At UFC 294, Chimaev found himself in a competitive battle against former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, who moved up in weight to take the fight on ten days’ notice.

Chimaev was promised a title fight by UFC CEO Dana White for taking the Usman fight on short notice, but Strickland doesn’t think he’s “earned it.”

Despite thinking Chimaev isn’t a deserving contender, Strickland says he’ll happily fight him for a paycheck.

Via UFC Fightpass

“The only thing I like about Chimaev is that he sells fights,” “For some reason, people f–king like him or don’t like him. I don’t know. To me, he’s a f–king paycheck. He sells a lot of fights. People pay to watch, but he f–king hasn’t earned it.

“He hasn’t f–king deserved it, but here we are. Give it to him. He sells a lot of fights. I’ll go fight the f–king man for five rounds. But no, he’s not earned it. He doesn’t f–king deserve it. Getting a decision with a welterweight off the couch is not f–ing earning it.”