Khamzat Chimaev has always been viewed as a fighter who’s destined to shoot the UFC’s popularity to another level if he becomes champion. And at UFC 319, ‘Borz’ dethroned Dricus du Plessis to become the new king at 185 lbs. However, while fans are expecting a dominant reign, Sean Strickland has spotted some serious red flags of mysterious injuries surrounding the Chechen-Emirati champion. 

‘Tarzan’ and ‘Borz’ have been on a collision course ever since they shared training sessions at Xtreme Couture. Now, that tension has boiled over. The former middleweight champion has accused Khamzat Chimaev of stalling the division with inactivity. Taking direct shots, Strickland believes the champ’s recurring injuries have become the reason the weight class is suffering. 

Sean Strickland snaps at Khamzat Chimaev for being an inactive champ 

“So I go beat fluffy, you’re next in line. You beat the contender. It’s like okay, great. But now you’re telling me to take year and a half off? Just to wait for? I’m ready now… my pinky is better, I’m like f—k that dude. Like I doesn’t make sense to me where it’s like, we’re in here to make money, and I’ll make significantly more money, not fighting for a belt, waiting for Chimaev’s pinky to feel better,” ‘Tarzan’ told ESPN MMA.

Khamzat Chimaev has definitely dealt with a history of injuries, and those issues did not disappear even after becoming champion. Following his win over Dricus du Plessis in Chicago, Chimaev initially targeted a quick turnaround and hoped to return at a UFC event in Abu Dhabi.

Those plans fell apart when ‘Borz’ suffered a foot injury that required surgery. The 185-pound champ later revealed on social media that he expects to be available after Ramadan, which runs until March 2026, realistically pushing his comeback to June or July.

For that exact reason, Strickland believes the current middleweight champion is unreliable because he fights only once a year. And this is not the first time that criticism has surfaced. Ahead of Chimaev’s clash with du Plessis, Din Thomas labeled him a “disaster,” pointing to the same inactivity concerns. Now, Strickland has taken it a step further, arguing that not fighting Chimaev is holding up the division with a pattern of mysterious injuries.

“Every freaking fight, dude, the guy is like, ‘I broke my hand’. I have an X-ray, do you wanna see it? Like my shoulder is broken. Every time you f—ing fight, you break something, dude. And it’s like some mysterious injury. I swear to you guys, it was broken. Well, ‘I tore something’ show the X-ray. Oh, I tore something, well, show the MRI…” Every time this f—ing guy fights he has a mysterious injury. So why wait?” Strickland added.

With the shoulder injury, ‘Tarzan’ may have been referring to the torn shoulder he suffered in a motorcycle accident before the Dricus du Plessis rematch. Still, even as he admits the shoulder issue continues to linger, Strickland insists he would present a serious challenge to Chimaev.  

‘Tarzan’ believes he’s the only one to beat ‘Borz’  

As a pro MMA fighter, Khamzat Chimaev has maintained utter dominance, holding a perfect 15-0 record. So far, nobody has truly come close to matching ‘Borz’ inside the Octagon apart from tough tests against Gilbert Burns (UFC 273) and Kamaru Usman (UFC 294). Yet, as the Chechen native continues to search for worthy competition, Sean Strickland believes he is the one man capable of beating the reigning 185 lbs champion.

“I think I’m probably the only one who can beat Chimaev. I honestly think Fluffy is a better wrestler than Chimaev. Like, I think pacewise, stylewise, I think over 5 rounds, Fluffy’s probably better. But in stand up, I think Chimaev might take him into the stand-up decision,” ‘Tarzan’ added in the interview.

Strickland is currently scheduled to face Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston, which is set for February 21. With his sights already fixed on a future clash against Chimaev, he is naturally expected to showcase major improvements in his grappling during this outing. Backing that claim, his coach Eric Nicksick has also stated that Strickland has sharpened his wrestling specifically to challenge ‘Borz’ down the line.

However, with the Houston showdown fast approaching, the big question remains. Can the middleweight standout actually surprise everyone with improved grappling as he eyes a statement win over Anthony Hernandez? Furthermore, can Sean Strickland actually become champion to fix the Khamzat Chimaev problem? Let us know in the comments section below.