Sean Strickland tells Khamzat Chimaev to get back in line for title fight

After easily running through Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 on Saturday, Khamzat Chimaev is on track for a title shot very soon. But soon isn’t fast enough for the Chechen, who told UFC president Dana White as much following his latest victory.

“Dana, what’s wrong with UFC, man?” he yelled in his post-fight octagon interview with Daniel Cormier. “Give me the belt.”

Chimaev did admit he’s willing to wait in a later interview, but he has a case to be next in line. The 30-year-old Russian fighter is undefeated (14-0) and he should jump quite a bit in the UFC rankings. While Chimaev entered the fight as the No. 13 contender, he literally broke the No. 3 contender, Whittaker, with a dominant first-round submission.

What’s more, some experts — including current middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis’ coach — view Whittaker as the rightful next title challenger. However, White has already indicated that Sean Strickland will be the next man to step into the octagon with Du Plessis.

And Strickland didn’t take kindly to Chimaev’s attempt to cut in line. He put Chimaev in his place with an X post that also referenced the Chechen’s travel issues and recent crypto currency controversy.