Middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev has stated that he has no intention of going too far in his upcoming bout against Sean Strickland at UFC 328. While the UFC is reportedly taking extra precautions, including keeping the fighters in separate hotels and increasing security, Chimaev himself aims to keep the conflict within the bounds of sport.
In a recent interview, Chimaev mentioned that he simply wants to fight and that while Strickland doesn’t have a large team, he feels a personal connection to him. He also addressed the possibility of a post-fight incident, clarifying that he would not seek to “kill” his opponent in the octagon, deeming such an act “haram.”
“I don’t want to kill a man. Haram. [I’m not planning to kill him]. No. They wouldn’t let me kill him there anyway,” Chimaev stated. He contrasted this with potential encounters outside the cage, humorously adding, “Out on the street, that’s different. If he dies, he dies. But in the cage, it’s sports.”
This suggests that while Chimaev respects the rules of the sport, his animosity towards Strickland, fueled by trash talk, might extend beyond the octagon if they were to meet in a different context.
