Colby Covington recently delivered a harsh assessment of Sean Strickland's chances against Khamzat Chimaev, predicting the former middleweight champion would have no path to victory in a potential matchup. The prediction highlights a perceived stylistic mismatch between the two fighters.
Covington's outlook for Strickland is decidedly negative. During an interview on Submission Radio, the former interim welterweight champion suggested a significant skill gap exists between Strickland and Chimaev.
Stylistic Concerns for Strickland
Covington's prediction centers on what he views as a problematic matchup for Strickland. The assessment suggests Chimaev's wrestling-heavy approach and physical dominance would overwhelm Strickland's striking-based game.
No, I’m not giving him a chance,” Covington said. “Hernandez and Khamzat are completely different levels of grapplers and the way they approach their strategies. So, I think Khamzat’s going to take him down and submit him. Schmo went and watched them spar back at Xtreme Couture a couple of years ago, and he pretty much said it wasn’t competitive.
“Khamzat was just taking him down and submitting him, so I expect that same damn plan. He’s not going to be stupid and strike with Sean and make it a kickboxing fight. He’s just going to make it straight grappling, and I think he’s going to put Strickland in some really bad positions and either submit him or just hold him down for 25 minutes.
Chimaev hasn’t competed since he won the middleweight gold back in August last year. 'Borz' had some heated words exchanged on social media with Strickland, and the two will clash at UFC 328 on May 9th in Newark.
