Daniel Cormier: Khamzat Chimaev earned title shot at UFC 308, Sean Strickland should be worried
October 29, 2024 12:10 pm ET
After UFC 308, Daniel Cormier believes Khamzat Chimaev likely has leapfrogged Sean Strickland as No. 1 middleweight contender.
Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) ran through former champion Robert Whittaker (27-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) for a first-round submission in Saturdayâs co-main event in Abu Dhabi. Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) was expected to be next in line for a title-fight rematch with champion Dricus Du Plessis, but Cormier isnât so sure after Chimaev made quick work of Whittaker.
âKhamzat Chimaev earned himself a title shot, or at least he should have,â Cormier said on his YouTube channel. âHe submitted Robert Whittaker in the first round â first round! Went across the octagon, double-legged him, took him down, choked him, and broke his jaw â broke his jaw! With a squeeze from a rear-naked choke. It was nuts to see him do that to a guy that was the generation before him, was one of the guys. Robert Whittaker for a long time has been one of the guys. When he wasnât the champion, he was ranked No. 1, or No. 2. Chimaev is ranked No. 12 right now.
âHe went and beat him in the first round. And if youâre Sean Strickland, that result worries you. Why? Because Mick Maynard is sitting next to me and jumps up and runs to Dana, and they start talking with Hunter (Campbell). Dana immediately runs over to follow Chimaev to talk to him. Thatâs scary to a guy thatâs considered the No. 1 contender because that tells you things are happening. Khamzat Chimaev, to me, solidified himself as the No. 1 contender at 185 pounds. His wrestling, his top control, his mentality, his approach, itâs not like many things we have seen.â
Since losing his middleweight title in a split decision loss to Du Plessis at UFC 297 in January, Strickland rebounded with a unanimous decision win over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 in June. He previously stated that he refuses to take another fight unless itâs for the title and is still confident that heâs next for Du Plessis.
âUnderstand one thingâŠ. I am next in lineâŠ.. Its been said, its been written⊠January/February me and @dricusduplessis are scrapping Go back to Chechnya and wait a few monthsâŠ.. wait.. sorry UAE⊠youâre not allowed in ChechnyaâŠBut hey crypto scams while you wait.â
âKhamzat Chimaev should be fighting for the belt next,â Cormier added. âHe really should. I donât know what the UFC is going to do, but if they say, âHey, youâre next,â I donât know that Sean has much in terms of reasons how he can complain to the organization about how theyâre wrong.â
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkieâs event hub for UFC 308.
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