“He Bowed His Head” – Khamzat Chimaev Reveals Why He Accepted an Apology from Sean Strickland at UFC 328

Former champion Khamzat Chimaev has revealed why he forgave Sean Strickland following their middleweight championship bout at UFC 328.

“He Bowed His Head” – Khamzat Chimaev Reveals Why He Accepted an Apology from Sean Strickland at UFC 328

Khamzat Chimaev explains why he forgave Sean Strickland [via Heavy.com]

In Short
  • Khamzat Chimaev forgave Sean Strickland after their UFC 328 fight, citing respect and the importance of forgiveness.
  • Despite a heated rivalry, both fighters embraced post-fight, with Strickland apologizing to Chimaev.
  • Darren Till has offered to avenge Chimaev's loss to Strickland, expressing confidence in his ability to defeat the champion.

A few days removed from their fight, Khamzat Chimaev has finally revealed why he forgave Sean Strickland after their UFC 328 title fight. The lead-up to their fight at UFC 328 was extremely vitriolic and hostile, with the UFC arranging extra security for the event. It appeared that things between the middleweights could kick off at any moment.

Things seemed to come to a head during the UFC 328 press conference. After throwing around some scathing insults during the presser, the fighters faced off. Despite being surrounded by heavy security, Khamzat Chimaev managed to kick Sean Strickland down low.

However, to the surprise of many in the MMA community, their animosity seemed to evaporate instantly after the fight concluded. Not only did the fighters embrace in the octagon, but Chimaev also wrapped the belt around Sean Strickland. Now, ‘Borz’ has explained his reasoning behind forgiving the middleweight champion on his Instagram story.

We don’t have the habit of talking or fighting after a loss. If we fight, we fight inside the cage, and we fought as best as we could. What Allah has decided is no longer in our control. As soon as the match ended, he bowed his head and said, ‘I’m sorry.’ A man who does not forgive another man who apologizes and begs for forgiveness is not a man.

Khamzat Chimaev via Instagram

The fighters squashing their feud after such a heated build has been criticized by many. Sean Strickland, especially, has come under fire for backtracking and apologizing to Khamzat Chimaev. However, Strickland provided a similar reasoning to Chimaev for his actions. While firing back at Ariel Helwani for his comments, ‘Tarzan’ claimed that he and Chimaev earned each other’s respect “through blood”.

While the hostility and animosity may have disappeared from this feud, a friend and former training partner of Chimaev’s has offered to avenge his loss to Sean Strickland.

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Darren Till offers to avenge Khamzat Chimaev by taking out Sean Strickland

Darren Till and Khamzat Chimaev used to be thick as thieves back when the Englishman was fighting in the UFC. They trained together and were present in each other’s corners during fight night. However, Till was released by the UFC in 2023 after going on a 3-fight losing skid.

Khamzat Chimaev, Darren Till
Khamzat Chimaev with Darren Till [via Bloody Elbow]

Since then, the ‘Gorilla’ has managed to rebound, transitioning to boxing and now signing a deal with BKFC. Despite these new undertakings, Till is keeping up with his friend’s UFC career. Which is why following UFC 328, the Englishman offered to avenge Chimaev’s loss to Strickland during a livestream on Kick. The ‘Gorilla’ is confident that he beats the current UFC middleweight champion.

I look at Sean Strickland now, he’s just beat Khamzat. I know for a fact, me 100 percent healthy, I take him out. I know I would. Everyone even says it. It’s easy for me to say it, he’s the champion, but I trust in my skill set.

Darren Till via Kick

Back when Darren Till left the UFC, he had confessed to the door being open for a potential return. However, Till revealed a couple of years ago that he was dealing with knee issues ever since his fight against former champion Robert Whittaker. So, a return to the UFC may be predicated on this injury’s status. Even so, a fight against Strickland would be a long way off.

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported that Chimaev is “obsessed” with the rematch against Sean Strickland and will not accept any other fights. Moreover, ‘Tarzan’ seemed to confirm Nassourdine Imavov as his next challenger. So, there is a long list of viable contenders ahead of Till looking to take out Sean Strickland.

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