Sean Strickland names targeted opponent for UFC return who will set him up to dethrone Khamzat Chimaev

Sean Strickland targets Anthony Hernandez as the opponent who will lead him to Khamzat Chimaev

Sean Strickland was suspended from competing following a brawl with a fighter while he was coaching one of his teammates.

After receiving the news that his six-month ban could be reduced to 4.5 months if he completed an anger management course, Strickland said that Khamzat Chimaev being champion was his motivation for coming back as soon as possible.

The former UFC middleweight champion recently told MMA Junkie that he believes Anthony Hernandez would make a lot of sense as his next opponent.

‘Fluffy’, who is riding an eight-fight win streak, was originally set to compete in a potential title eliminator on October 18 before being forced to withdraw due to an injury.

After shutting down the rematch with Israel Adesanya, Strickland said that beating Hernandez would put him back where he wants to be while sending a message to Chimaev at the same time.

“I don’t want Izzy. I’m not going to fight Izzy. I think it’s an easier fight for me,” Strickland claimed. “So that’s kind of where I’m at. I want to fight somebody like Fluffy. Fluffy puts me in title contention. Especially with him, because all he does, he’s like the American Chimaev… Go beat your cans and then let me know when you’re ready.”

Sean Strickland believes he’s the only middleweight that can beat Khamzat Chimaev

Sean Strickland believes that the fighters who are being lined up to be Khamzat Chimaev’s first challengers don’t have much of a chance of dethroning him.

“What annoys me about Chimaev is there’s nobody that could beat him,” Strickland told MMA Junkie. “I’ve trained with all the guys he’s going to fight.”

Strickland, who has also trained with the current champion, is confident that he’d be the biggest threat to the undefeated star based on his previous experiences with ‘Borz’.

“Once he realizes he can’t f—— maul you and you don’t quit, he quits and it turns into a boxing match. I just don’t know if there’s anybody at that division other than me that knows what it’s like to grapple those f——.”