Sean Strickland Vows to Counter Dominant Wrestling Skills of Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328

Controversial middleweight Sean Strickland highlights his preparation for his upcoming title shot against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328.

Sean Strickland Vows to Counter Dominant Wrestling Skills of Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328

Sean Strickland reveals plan to counter Khamzat Chimaev's wrestling (via Instagram)

In Short
  • Sean Strickland plans to counter Khamzat Chimaev's wrestling by focusing on counter-wrestling and striking.
  • The rivalry intensified after Strickland questioned Chimaev's ties to controversial figures and accused him of scams.
  • UFC 328 is highly anticipated, with increased security due to ongoing tensions between the fighters.

UFC 328 is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated events on the 2026 UFC calendar. It is largely driven by the rising tension between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland. The fight has been fueled by bad blood after the two went from teammates to arch-rivals. However, Strickland has also recently revealed how he plans to deal with Chimaev’s dominant wrestling and grappling style.

The two fighters were once close friends and teammates at the Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas, training together with mutual respect in their early careers. Tensions began when Strickland publicly questioned Chimaev’s ties to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. He also accused ‘Borz’ of involvement in cryptocurrency-related scams, which escalated the fallout and turned their relationship into a rivalry.

Chimaev is widely regarded as one of the most dominant wrestlers on the UFC roster, with his grappling pressure and control standing out in multiple fights. This was highlighted when he defeated Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 to win the middleweight title. Many believe this wrestling edge could play a major role at UFC 328, though Strickland has recently revealed how he plans to counter that grappling threat.

Part of him knows if we wrestle, I’m just gonna counter-wrestle and get up. Or he knows he can’t take me down and we kickbox for 5 rounds. He’s gonna get frustrated and I’m just gonna tag him at will.

Sean Strickland via his YouTube channel

Sean Strickland has been preparing for this potential clash by training with some of the biggest knockout artists in UFC history. He was seen working with Alex Pereira at the UFC Performance Institute, focusing on sharpening his striking and defensive reactions. The title challenger was also observed sparring toe-to-toe with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou at Xtreme Couture.

Chimaev and Strickland have remained at each other’s throats since the fight was announced, openly exchanging threats in interviews and on social platforms. The tension escalated when Strickland reportedly showed up in California to confront the Chechen phenom in person. UFC officials majorly increased security for fight week, and planned face-offs were canceled due to safety concerns.

Many in the MMA community are viewing Sean Strickland as a live underdog to pull off an upset at the Prudential Center this week. Fighters such as Joe Pyfer and Dricus Du Plessis have suggested his unorthodox striking style could trouble the champion over five rounds. The matchup is seen as a key test of whether ‘Tarzan’ can disrupt Khamzat Chimaev’s rhythm and force his own fighting pace.

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Khamzat Chimaev’s training journey has seen him evolve across several major camps during his UFC rise. He originally trained in Sweden at the AllStars Training Center, where he built his grappling foundation. He then moved to Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas and later moved to Dubai. However, for UFC 328, he is now also linked with Santo Studio while working on conditioning under Sam Calavitta at Treigning Labs.

Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland
Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev being kept apart by the UFC [via CBS Sports and Reddit]

Chimaev has been training with several active UFC fighters to sharpen his preparation. He has worked with featherweight contender Aaron Pico and light heavyweight contender Khalil Rountree Jr, adding pace and striking power to his camp. Brendan Allen was part of his training group and recently suggested Sean Strickland did not stand much of a chance at UFC 328 based on Chimaev’s form.

Sean Strickland has previously defeated Brendan Allen via second-round TKO at UFC Vegas 14, where he used consistent pressure and volume striking to force a stoppage. The connection adds context to the ongoing buildup, with Strickland’s past win over Allen serving as a contrast to the middleweight contender’s confidence in Khamzat Chimaev’s chances in the upcoming fight at UFC 328.

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