Overview
- Khamzat Chimaev shared a roughly 26‑second sparring clip with Sean Strickland on Tuesday, May 5, showing brief striking exchanges and captioned “I am bullying weak people,” which drew many unimpressed fan reactions.
- UFC officials increased security for fight week, placed the rivals in separate hotels, and canceled the planned promotional face-off due to safety concerns reported by Dana White.
- Chimaev told reporters he had waited in the fighter hotel lobby for three days, said he was unafraid of Strickland’s shooting threats, and framed the added security as protection for his opponent.
- In a separate video message, Chimaev said nothing would happen before the bout and called himself too professional to engage in a pre‑fight scuffle.
- Odds for Saturday’s main event at Newark’s Prudential Center list Chimaev as a heavy favorite near -535, while the brief clip did not settle their long‑disputed 2022 sparring accounts; the card streams on Paramount+.