Chimaev recounts Strickland gun incident after gym dispute

Khamzat Chimaev said on a recent podcast that a long-running feud with former training partner Sean Strickland began after a workout disagreement and escalated the next day when Strickland, he said, began walking around the gym with a firearm because he feared an attack. The comments, recounted by Chimaev, add new detail to a public falling-out between two fighters who once trained together in Las Vegas and have since traded accusations in interviews and media appearances.

Chimaev, the current UFC middleweight champion, described a group chat that included a gymmate from Chechnya and said Strickland wrote a remark about Chechens. Chimaev said he replied with a challenge and that a misunderstanding followed because his English was limited at the time. He told the podcast, "Well, one time I got angry with him and the next day he was walking around the gym with a gun, he thought I'd attack him." Chimaev has denied other recent assertions by Strickland that he deliberately targeted less experienced sparring partners.

Strickland, a former middleweight champion who rose to prominence after defeating Israel Adesanya in 2023, has been a polarizing figure in the sport and has publicly...