UFC fighter disgusted by Chimaev and Strickland’s behavior: I understand selling the fight, but there are limits

The clash that was supposed to heat up the atmosphere ended with something few expected. After weeks of tension and harsh words, we saw a very different picture in the cage.

Top welterweight contender Sean Brady made no secret of his surprise at the attitude of Khamzat Khimaev and Sean Strickland at UFC 328. After escalating their conflict for weeks, they showed a completely different face in the octagon.

Sean Brady puzzled by Chimaev and Strickland’s behavior after UFC 328

Their duel in Newark lived up to sporting expectations. After five rounds of real war, Strickland won by unanimous decision of the judges, regaining the middleweight belt and inflicting on Chimaev the first defeat of his MMA career.

It was a surprising finale to a crazy week. Both fighters were guarded 24/7 by security for several days to avoid direct confrontation. Nevertheless, there were face-to-face encounters – both at the press conference and at the weigh-in.

Even more surprising, however, was the start of the fight. Despite the fierce trash-talk and numerous controversies, Chimaev and Strickland greeted each other in the cage, touching gloves and exchanging pleasantries. And it’s worth recalling that during the promotion Strickland hit on very personal topics – religion, family and his rival’s masculinity.

Not everyone liked it. In an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, Brady made it clear what he thought about it:

– If someone talks about my mother, children or religion, we would fight in the parking lot and everywhere we met. We would be like Peter Griffin and the rooster from “Family Guy,” they fight all the time.

– You can’t say such things and then act like best buddies. I understand selling the fight, but there are limits. Once you cross them, there’s no going back. I like Khamzat and Strickland, but when they started nailing each other in the cage, I thought: seriously? All that security, talking… for that? It was a good fight, but not what we expected.

– People would have watched the duel anyway. You have to keep the same energy until the end,” he added.

It is worth mentioning that Brady himself is back in the running for the welterweight belt after a dominant victory over Joaquin Buckley. Chimaev, on the other hand, plans to move up to the welterweight category after UFC 328 and fight for a second world title.