What began as a casual livestream quickly turned chaotic when Arman Tsarukyan and streamer Adin Ross placed a $50,000 bet on the outcome of Sean Strickland vs. Khamzat Chimaev. With tensions already high ahead of UFC 328, Ross confidently backed ‘Tarzan’ to pull off the upset, while Tsarukyan stood firm behind his teammate Chimaev.

The two agreed to a $50,000 wager live on stream before Ross decided to go one step further and call Strickland directly. That’s when things took a turn. Answering the call in his usual unfiltered fashion, Sean Strickland didn’t hesitate to stand up for himself.

“Oh, let’s go; it’s your money, dog, go full send,” Strickland told Ross. “Here’s the thing, it’s $50k; you ain’t gonna miss $50k dog, you’ll be all good. Listen, mother f—–, I know I’m gonna win. Yo! Listen, dog, I beat this goat f—– in training; I’ll do it in a fight.”

The confidence was there, but so was the chaos, as all three voices clashed in a mix of banter, trash talk, and enthusiasm. Arman Tsarukyan, however, doubled down on his stance, reminding Sean Strickland that loyalty comes with risk.

“Sean, listen, if you believe in somebody and you’re friends with somebody, you’ve got to like, go all the money you have; you’ve got to put on your guy,” he said. “Even if he’s weak, right. I’m trying to get $1 million from him. I hope you’re not gonna feel good that day. Okay, take care.”

With such words, many surely expected ‘Tarzan’ to talk back. However, Strickland showed a rare moment of respect, congratulating Tsarukyan on his recent wrestling win.

“Hey Arman, congrats on that wrestling match,” he said. “You put on good s—.”

However, that calm didn’t last long.

Later, in a follow-up rant on his Instagram story, Sean Strickland turned his focus on Adin Ross—and didn’t hold back one bit. Frustrated by being dragged into the livestream, he snapped.

“Adin, listen you mother f—–,” he said. “I’m trying to have a nice Saturday, trying to rent a f—– tractor, and you’re always calling me with some s—.

“This f—– guy here, you all stream too much, dude. You gotta get the f— off that.”

It was classic ‘Tarzan’—raw, rude, and entirely disinterested in playing along with internet antics.

The moment perfectly captures the unpredictable nature of modern fight promotion. What was previously limited to press conferences and interviews has expanded into livestreams, bets, and viral videos. But with personalities like Sean Strickland involved, things rarely stay under control for long.

As for the bet itself, it only adds more intrigue to an already high-stakes fight. With money, pride, and reputations on the line, the buildup to UFC 328 just got even more personal. And to make things more interesting, it turns out Arman Tsarukyan isn’t the only UFC fighter backing Khamzat Chimaev to take the win.

Colby Covington backs Khamzat Chimaev to ‘fold’ Sean Strickland

If the chaos of that livestream hinted at where fighters stand, then Colby Covington has now made it quite clear. ‘Chaos,’ like Arman Tsarukyan, doubts Sean Strickland’s ability to pull off the upset. In fact, his take leans significantly in the opposite direction, reinforcing the idea that Khamzat Chimaev is simply a different kind of problem.

Speaking after his own win over Dillon Danis at RAF 7, Colby Covington left little room for argument. To him, this isn’t a 50-50 fight; it’s a stylistic mismatch waiting to unfold.

“I’m not giving Strickland a chance,” he said. “(Anthony) Hernandez and Khamzat are completely different levels of grapplers and the way that they approach their strategies. I think Khamzat is going to take him down and submit him.”

Colby Covington believes that the path to victory is straightforward. No unnecessary risks, no striking battles—just pressure, takedowns, and control. In his words, ‘Borz’ could either find a submission or “fold” Sean Strickland over the course of five rounds.

“I expect that same game plan,” he added. “He’s not going to be stupid and strike and make it a kickboxing fight with Sean.

“He’s going to make it straight grappling, and I think he’s going to put Strickland in some really bad positions to either submit him or just fold him out for 25 minutes.”

While the bets and trash talk fuel the hype, the true test will be whether Strickland’s anti-grappling skills have evolved enough to defuse the one-dimensional threat that both Tsarukyan and Covington see as his undoing.