“Anyone who submits me during training gets a million rubles from me,” Khamzat Chimaev said last year during an MMA event in Russia, revealing that he had once placed a “bounty” on his own head. He offered the reward to anyone who could tap him in training, but no one managed to do it. Now, as he prepares to face Sean Strickland next, Chimaev has reportedly brought back the same challenge, and a UFC insider recently warned Strickland about it.

Last weekend, the UFC finally lifted the curtain on middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev’s first title defense at UFC 328, where he will settle his personal score with Sean Strickland. The upcoming clash is not just a regular title fight. Instead, it is a rivalry fueled by tension and animosity. With the event now just 56 days away, ‘Borz’ is clearly leaving no stone unturned in his preparation. More recently, Daniel Cormier revealed details from inside Chimaev’s training camp.

New Khamzat Chimaev training camp update puts Sean Strickland on alert

“Out of the Chimaev camp, that Chimaev is training so hard and putting it on guys,” said Daniel Cormier, “Elite-level guys, like nothing you’ve ever seen before. I have heard Khamzat Chimaev wants people to go so hard with him, to try to beat him and submit him. He’s paying them. He doesn’t care.

I’ve got some guys in the gym at my gym that know people who are like, man, this dude, if somebody can submit him, there’s like money. Wait, Shane got in trouble for bounty games. Khamzat’s gonna put a bounty on himself to make guys give him all that they have. This dude, it’s different.”

Cormier might be referring to former UFC heavyweight legend Shane Carwin, whose bounty on himself no one officially documented. Still, Daniel Cormier, one of the few personalities who knows every UFC storyline, past and present, gives us a perspective we can trust, straight from the former two-division UFC champion himself.

Right now, the Chechen Wolf stands as the “boogeyman” of the middleweight division and even the nearby weight classes. With relentless pressure and elite-level wrestling, he has already shaken up the division in record time. He dismantled top contender Robert Whittaker at UFC 308, finishing him in the first round with a deadly face crank.

Then, at UFC 319, Khamzat Chimaev used his wrestling to control Dricus du Plessis throughout a grueling five-round battle, which cemented him as one of the most dangerous grapplers in the division.

Khamzat Chimaev’s training habits have long been the talk of the town. In fact, teammates from Sweden’s Allstars Gym often share stories about how he pushes himself to the absolute limit during training sessions and fight camps. At times, he even overtrains and risks his health, which has occasionally forced him to withdraw from fights because of illness.

However, ‘Borz’ later reunited with his former coach, Salim Nutsalkhanov, and also brought conditioning coach Sam Calavitta into his team to improve his preparation and recovery. Since then, those changes have improved his gas tank and overall cardio, something he clearly showed during his performance against du Plessis.

Even though some fans labeled the fight “boring,” he still controlled the action for 21 minutes of the 25-minute bout, which clearly shows how dangerous he can be inside the cage.

However, fans should not treat Khamzat Chimaev as an unbeatable force. In fact, opponents have exposed certain weaknesses in his game in the past. Because of that, a former BMF champion now backs Sean Strickland in the upcoming matchup, despite the odds favoring the Russian star.

Their rivalry stems from personal hatred and verbal exchanges, especially Strickland’s anger at Chimaev due to his closeness with the Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov. Because of that, a former BMF champion now backs Sean Strickland in the upcoming matchup, despite the odds favoring the Russian star.

Former BMF champion reveals his pick for Chimaev vs. Strickland

Khamzat Chimaev has already earned wins over several big names, including former champion Kamaru Usman, who stepped in on short notice. However, that fight did not come easily for ‘Borz’. At UFC 294, their three-round clash showed exactly what it takes to face a world-class American wrestler and the UFC welterweight GOAT.

The Russian champ started the fight aggressively and used his wrestling early to control the pace. However, as the fight progressed, his gas tank began to slow down. Meanwhile, despite taking the bout on short notice, Kamaru Usman showed strong resilience and continued pushing forward. Although the judges awarded the fight to Khamzat Chimaev, many fans and analysts questioned the performance and believed Usman made the contest much closer than expected.

Because of that showing, some experts now remain skeptical about Khamzat Chimaev as he heads into his next challenge. In fact, that doubt has pushed former BMF champion Jorge Masvidal to back Sean Strickland in the upcoming UFC 328 showdown.

“I don’t think Khamzat is all that good,” said Jorge Masvidal on deathrow podcast,” I don’t think Khamzat is all that good. Look at the Usman fight–Usman was 170 lbs, took the fight on 11 days’ notice, and I thought Chimaev lost that fight. I don’t think Khamzat beats Strickland. I’m putting all my money on Strickland for that one. I’m dumping the house on Strickland.”

Notably, Masvidal’s assessment carries weight, especially when you look at ‘Tarzan’s track record. In the past, Sean Strickland shocked many oddsmakers when he defeated Israel Adesanya at the peak of his reign to capture the middleweight title.

In addition, Strickland relies on a boxing-heavy style and maintains a solid 78 percent takedown defense, which makes him a difficult matchup for most opponents. So, what do you think about this fight? Drop your opinion below.