Is Sean Strickland aiming too high by dreaming of reclaiming the middleweight title? Last week, the former champion, surprisingly, defied expectations and knocked out fan-favorite Anthony Hernandez on the UFC Houston main card. With brutal knees and punches, Strickland quickly ended Hernandez’s eight-fight winning streak.

Soon after, the American star sent a warning to champion Khamzat Chimaev, calling “Borz” a “Chechen wh–e.” But “Tarzan” should probably be careful what he wishes for. Recently, veteran middleweight Robert Whittaker warned Sean Strickland during an interview with Submission Radio. When the host asked about Strickland’s chances against someone like Chimaev if his wrestling matched Hernandez’s level, Whittaker, quite honestly, gave his take.

“Yeah, absolutely not there. Like, having been in there with Chimaev and Sean,” Robert Whittaker told Submission Radio, “and it’s night and day, and everyone who saw what Chimaev did to Dricus knows it’s not the same.”

In fact, Whittaker reminded fans how Khamzat Chimaev dominated Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 last year. During the fight in Chicago, Chimaev exposed Du Plessis’ wrestling and controlled him on the ground with his grappling for nearly 20 minutes. While parts of the fight moved slowly, Chimaev’s dominance ultimately solidified him as a top contender.

Although ‘The Reaper’ never faced Sean Strickland or Anthony Hernandez, he draws his perspective from firsthand experience with Chimaev. When Robert Whittaker fought ‘Borz’ in the Octagon more than a year ago, Chimaev’s wrestling completely dominated the Australian sensation.

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Not only did Khamzat Chimaev finish Whittaker in the first round, but he also broke Whittaker’s jaw with a face-crank submission, which forced him to undergo medical procedures. The gruesome injury even appeared in viral social media photos, showing Whittaker’s central teeth bent backward.

Despite Robert Whittaker’s warning, Sean Strickland shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, he has already decided to focus on defeating Khamzat Chimaev rather than going after the belt. Their long-standing grudge dates back to their training days at Xtreme Couture, when “Tarzan” accused Chimaev of targeting only weaker fighters.

Since then, the rivalry has steadily intensified, gradually pushing both fighters closer to a potential showdown. After Strickland launched multiple verbal jabs, the Chechen star has finally broken his silence.

Khamzat Chimaev breaks silence after Sean Strickland’s verbal jabs

Sean Strickland has never held a personal grudge against any opponent in the Octagon, from Dricus Du Plessis to Israel Adesanya, and he has always treated every fight as business. But things are different with Khamzat Chimaev. For one, several factors fuel this rivalry, and Chimaev’s habit of baiting and provoking on social media only adds to the tension since he frequently targets fighters like Alex Pereira or Jiri Prochazka.

Over the past few years, the tension between Chimaev and Strickland has grown. The former champ has repeatedly called out Chimaev for his close ties to a Chechen dictator and for accepting gifts and cars, which caught Strickland off guard. More recently, he even linked ‘Borz’ to the controversial Epstein files. Now, both fighters appear ready for a showdown, as Chimaev has had enough of Strickland and recently broke his silence on the call-outs.

“Habibi, come down,” Chimaev wrote. “I destroyed the guy who beat you twice. American [expletive].”

On top of that, Nassourdine Imavov has also targeted Sean Strickland for a potential rematch. So, who do you think makes the ideal opponent for Strickland: Chimaev or Imavov?