Can Sean Strickland hand Khamzat Chimaev his first professional MMA loss? That’s been the growing debate since the UFC decided to match ‘Tarzan’ against ‘Borz’ at UFC 328 in Newark. So far, the Chechen is a massive favorite. However, the former middleweight champion’s teammate, Francis Ngannou, believes his training methods could create an upset on May 9, when the cage door finally closes.

“He is a good teammate,” Predator told Helen Yee in a recent interview. “We have been in the same gym for years now. So, he’s just like a teammate. I have been around for so many… before many of his fights, even though this one is like way different. I think it’s a very tough fight. But he has the right partner, and he’s doing a good job for it. So, like, [he is emphasizing on his] wrestling like this, even though he’s been doing it pretty good.”

For those who don’t know, Sean Strickland and Francis Ngannou are part of the Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas and have been training under head coach Eric Nicksick for a long time. They developed a cordial relationship through multiple training sessions together, but their bond extends beyond that. When ‘Predator’ decided to exit the UFC, ‘Tarzan’ supported his move and wished him well in his endeavors outside Dana White’s promotion. Despite his exit from the promotion, Ngannou has remained part of the gym and has already joined Strickland’s camp against Khamzat Chimaev for UFC 328.

Now, when it comes to the former champ’s preparation for the grudge match, Ngannou rightly pointed out that he’s giving it his all, especially when it comes to his wrestling. As per Bloody Elbow, Strickland added former Bellator champion Johnny Eblen to his team to refine his grappling techniques so he can go toe-to-toe with Chimaev. So, there’s clearly some serious progress going on in ‘Tarzan’s camp as he prepares to face the toughest challenge of his career.

That said, it’s not only Ngannou who has revealed Strickland’s dedication to reclaiming the title after losing it to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297. Recently, Jorge Masvidal also showed full confidence in the Nevada native’s takedown defense to pull off an upset against the undefeated phenom next month.

Despite this, not everyone is on board with the idea that Strickland has what it takes to defend himself against Chimaev.

Colby Covington thinks Sean Strickland has no chance to beat Khamzat Chimaev 

Though ‘Tarzan’ completely dominated a wrestling-based fighter like Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston, his bitter rival Colby Covington believes Strickland would get a reality check against Khamzat Chimaev. The reason is that ‘Chaos’ believes they are two very different fighters, and ‘Borz’ will eventually submit the former champ when they face off at the Prudential Center on May 9.

“No, I’m not giving him a chance,” Covington told Submission Radio. “Hernandez and Khamzat are completely different levels of grapplers and the way they approach their strategies. So, I think Khamzat’s going to take him down and submit him. Schmo went and watched them spar back at Xtreme Couture a couple of years ago, and he pretty much said it wasn’t competitive.”

Here, the former UFC interim 170 lbs champ referred to content creator The Schmo, who claimed to have watched the infamous Strickland vs Khamzat training session at Xtreme Couture that sparked their rivalry in the first place. The Schmo claimed that the session was competitive but also indicated that ‘Borz’ was winning the grappling exchanges.

While Strickland’s camp projects confidence, he’ll have to overcome skepticism from rivals like Covington and the raw power of an undefeated champ to prove his preparation was enough.