Khamzat Chimaev is just days away from defending his middleweight title at UFC 328, but challenger Sean Strickland isn’t making the most noise about it. It came from Conor McGregor, who briefly went online and oddly claimed that the 185-pound belt at stake in Newark was somehow “his title.”

“Very excited for the Newark, New Jersey UFC card, with my 185 lb UFC title on the line!” he wrote on X. “TUNE IN ON @UFConParamount.”

This did not sit well with the champion. When asked about the Irishman’s now deleted post, Khamzat Chimaev laughed it off before delivering a sharp reality check.

“His belt?” Chimaev scoffed during the UFC 328 media day. “Bro, he lost his belt ten years ago! So I don’t know. This guy should come off d—- and his Proper something (Proper Twelve, McGregor’s whiskey brand) that he is drinking all the time and get to work.”

It was classic ‘Borz’—direct and aggressive. But underneath the insult was a clear message: middleweight belongs to the men who fight for it, not legends who speak about former glory on the internet.

And Khamzat Chimaev didn’t stop there. He made it clear that if Conor McGregor seriously wants smoke, whether in MMA or under Zuffa Boxing, ‘Borz’ is eager to meet him there as well.

“I don’t care, boxing,” he added. “I told Zuffa Boxing people think I’m just a wrestler; I don’t need to use my just boxing, I’m an MMA fighter.

“If I go to the boxing, I’m going to show my boxing, too.”

That is what makes it intriguing. Conor McGregor may be planning a comeback at UFC 329, and that still has many skeptical considering his history of backing out. However, his tweets continue to influence the sport in ways few others can.

But if ‘The Notorious’ continues to talk about divisions he has never fought in, he may come across a real champion ready to put his words to the test.

It is worth noting that it isn’t just Khamzat Chimaev who responded to this bizarre claim made by Conor McGregor; even Sean Strickland jumped in to share his opinion on the Irishman’s take.

Sean Strickland joins Khamzat Chimaev to respond to Conor McGregor’s comments

Sean Strickland was never going to let Conor McGregor‘s strange middleweight title claim pass without adding his own spin to the conversation. And, like Khamzat Chimaev, ‘Tarzan’ made it clear that he finds the Irishman’s recent comments more odd than credible—though, in classic Strickland fashion, he wrapped that opinion in humor rather than hostility.

When asked about Conor McGregor’s claim, Sean Strickland said that the Irishman might be “juiced out” before going on a hilarious rant that included praise, disbelief, and admiration for McGregor’s larger-than-life antics.

“I mean, he’s probably juiced out, I don’t know,” he said. “I like Conor, dude; I like Conor, man. Tying weights on his d—, dude, I liked it.

“I mean again, when you’re tying a weight on your d—, was it erect or was it flaccid? Was it actually holding the weight? Let’s go, dude; I respect that.”

‘Tarzan’ was referring to some images of McGregor’s NSFW images that were leaked on the internet last year.

But underneath the typical Strickland wildness, there was a simple point: ‘The Notorious’ is still impossible to ignore. Even after five years away, he still controls headlines and somehow makes entire divisions react to a deleted post.

That is what makes a possible collision so intriguing. Sean Strickland openly respects Conor McGregor’s star power and joked that he would gladly take some of ‘The Notorious’ business playbook if it meant reaching that level of fame.

“Yeah, dude, Conor is the man,” he added. “If I’ve got to do some c— and f— some strippers, I’m willing to do that.

“You wanna give me Conor money? I’m willing to do it, start a whiskey brand.”

But unlike most, ‘Tarzan’ would also meet Conor McGregor’s talk with talk of his own. And honestly, this is one fight that fans would love to see materialize.