Strickland’s machine gun wedding moment sums up – Sports News
Sean Strickland celebrated his wedding in traditional Sean Strickland fashion. (Image: Zuffa LLC by way of Getty Images)
UFC middleweight Sean Strickland will look to reclaim his former title on Saturday when he meets Khamzat Chimaev in Newark, New Jersey, in solely his second bout since tying the knot together with his longtime accomplice.
Strickland faces Chimaev for the middleweight championship at UFC 328, with the challenger sustaining an unblemished report since becoming a member of the UFC. The Russian-Emirati fighter stands at 15-0 and defeated Dricus du Plessis to seize the belt, after du Plessis had taken it from Strickland in January 2024.
True to type, Strickland has relied closely on his trademark verbal warfare main up to the bout and has drawn criticism from fellow UFC fighters after implying he might shoot his adversary. The remark has resulted in heightened security measures and an expanded police presence on the official UFC lodge, with Strickland having a documented relationship with firearms.
Strickland is well known for his advocacy of Second Amendment rights and maintains an intensive personal firearms assortment. The UFC fighter has additionally acknowledged that he routinely carries a weapon and has beforehand joked about using it earlier than matches.
When Strickland wed his longtime accomplice final 12 months, he introduced the union by posting an Instagram {photograph} of his wedding social gathering brandishing firearms. “Well, time to grow up, I guess,” he captioned the image.
Strickland continues to attempt to rattle fighters earlier than moving into the Octagon. (Image: 2026 Jack Gorman)
Additionally, Strickland shared video footage of himself and his spouse discharging an automated weapon. Strickland’s spouse, known as ‘KJ’ as her id has been saved confidential, was nonetheless sporting her wedding robe whereas firing the rifle. Strickland faces a formidable problem towards Chimaev, who claimed the belt from Du Plessis whereas barely absorbing any important strikes till the fifth spherical. Renowned for his grappling abilities and skill to power submissions, Chimaev meets his match in Strickland, who has by no means been submitted all through his profession.
The most important occasion at Prudential Center guarantees to be a compelling showdown, however Strickland has dramatically escalated tensions. In a startling interview with The Mac Life, Strickland made threatening remarks directed at Chimaev and his entourage.
“If you come up to me with three f—— goat f—– Chechens that don’t speak English, I’m gonna pull my gun, and I’m gonna shoot each and every one of you,” Strickland stated.
Khamzat Chimaev has but to lose within the UFC, 15-0 in his professional MMA profession. (Image: Zuffa LLC by way of Getty Images)
The inflammatory feedback, made simply days earlier than UFC 328 media day, prompted organizers to considerably bolster security measures. “It’s not just the hotel [lobby] or around the hotel, actually on our floor,” famous Baisangur Susurkaev, a Chimaev coaching accomplice competing on the undercard, via a translator.
“My floor, on Khamzat’s floor, there’s actually security present on each floor, so I’m pretty sure that Dana [White] made sure that everybody’s safe. You know, I’m really a peaceful guy, I’m not trying to start something, I think it’s for if Sean’s team wants to start something, we’ll see what happens.”
Strickland persevered together with his inflammatory rhetoric at UFC media day, even attributing the heightened security to his opponent. “State police, I don’t know, really good guys,” Strickland stated of officers preserving an eye on him. “Let me tell you guys, it’s not the first time I’ve had security. I think I’ve had a couple fights where I’ve had security, this is probably the highest security. But again, I don’t think there really is a problem with me and Chimaev.
“If me and Chimaev had been right here proper now, we’re not going to battle clearly, we’ll f——- battle Saturday. But this goes back thus far – Chimaev will come and he has to carry 30 f—— fanatical Chechnyans and so they can’t be trusted as a result of they don’t seem to be suitable with us.”
Meanwhile, Chimaev remained unfazed by the heightened security measures, responding: “No downside, I’m from Chechnya. In Chechnya, each hundred meters you see navy with Kalashnikovs, so, I do not care about how a lot people round right here. It’s for Sean’s security, you already know?”
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