The pre-fight press conference for UFC 328 in Newark, New Jersey, descended into chaos almost immediately as middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev and challenger Sean Strickland confronted each other with a barrage of personal insults.
The verbal altercation began right from the start of the event. Strickland opened by dismissing Chimaev, claiming the champion is all talk and nothing more. Chimaev fired back with a provocative taunt, telling Strickland he would "be his daddy" inside the octagon and mocking him to cry about it.
The exchange quickly escalated with Strickland making derogatory remarks about Chimaev's Chechen origins and personal history. Chimaev responded by continuing to goad his opponent, inviting him to cry right there at the press conference rather than wait for fight night.
The confrontation sets the stage for what promises to be an intensely personal matchup between two of the UFC's most outspoken fighters. Both men showed no interest in maintaining any semblance of professionalism during the media event.
Chimaev enters the bout with an unblemished professional record, having won all 15 of his fights. Twelve of those victories came by way of finish, demonstrating his dominance inside the cage. The Chechen-born fighter has been competing professionally since 2018 and holds the distinction of being only the 16th fighter in UFC history to capture a championship without a single professional loss.
The UFC 328 event is scheduled to take place in Newark, where the middleweight title will be on the line. Given the intensity of the pre-fight animosity displayed at the press conference, fans can expect a charged atmosphere when these two rivals finally meet in the octagon.
Based on reporting from Чемпионат.com.