Luke Rockhold is backing Khamzat Chimaev to dominate Sean Strickland at UFC 328, and his reasoning goes well beyond fight analysis.
The former UFC middleweight champion recently trained with Chimaev and spoke to Adam Zubayraev about the May 9 title fight in Newark, New Jersey, offering his take on both competitors, making his allegiances clear.
Sean is effective and he's scrappy and he hangs in there," Rockhold said. "Khamzat is so much more talented, it's about who can relax and implement their game plan the best and Khamzat's doing everything he needs to and I think he can really have a masterclass.
Rockhold then went further, framing the fight not just as a matchup between two fighters but as a contest between two people of very different character in his view.
I would love to see him put this f***ing American away," Rockhold said. "I'm American, but I like good people. Khamzat is a great person, through and through. Sean Strickland, he's a piece of s**t.
Strickland's popularity has surged on the back of his upset knockout of Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 and his unfiltered public persona, though that same persona has also drawn significant criticism. His social media activity has included offensive posts targeting various groups, including a photoshopped image of himself as an ICE agent ahead of his February win over Anthony Hernandez.
Rockhold also addressed Chimaev's mental state heading into the defense compared to his previous run toward the title.
I think last time out there was a little bit of tension, he wanted to win the world title," Rockhold said. "Now he can go out there and be his best and I expect the best from Khamzat.
The pre-fight tension between the two fighters has escalated publicly, with Chimaev suggesting a street encounter with Strickland could be dangerous and Strickland responding that Chimaev was the last person in America who should be making threats. Rockhold dismissed the idea that any of that would get inside Chimaev's head.
Piss him off? I doubt that, no. Sean doesn't roll as deep as my man here, so I think we're in good hands and a fight's a fight. You've got to play the game.
