Strickland believes he can get up if he is taken down by
Khamzat
Chimaev.
Strickland is scheduled to challenge Chimaev for the middleweight
title in the main event at
UFC 328 on May 9 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
While Chimaev is known for his suffocating brand of wrestling,
Strickland has elite takedown defense.
Fans and pundits are divided about how the UFC 328 headliner might
play out. While some expect complete domination from Chimaev, who
is the favorite, others believe Strickland might be the only answer
to the undefeated Chechen-born champion.
Having trained together in the past, Strickland believes Chimaev
knows that he can’t keep him on the ground for long. Strickland
believes he can counter-wrestle Chimaev and get top control.
Strickland predicts that “Borz” might even resort to a stand-up
battle if he fails on multiple takedown attempts. If the fight
stays on the feet, Strickland believes he will be able to have his
way with the champion.
“I think a part of him knows that if we do wrestle, I’m just going
to counter-wrestle,” Strickland said in an episode of UFC 328
“Countdown.”
“I’ll get up, I’ll get on top. Or complete opposite, he knows he
can’t take me down, and then we just kickbox for five rounds. And
if that happens, you’re going to see him getting frustrated, throw
big punches, trying to hit me. And I’m just going to tag him at
will.”
The confidence Strickland has in his skills is partially inspired
by how he perceives Chimaev as a “bully.” Claiming that he pursues
the best challenges when training while Chimaev may take the easier
path by sparring with “average” opponents, he feels this gives him
a serious edge mentally and physically.
“Me and him are just two different breeds, fundamentally different
men,” he continued. “If I walk into a gym, I will spar the hardest
and best guy, because I wanna test myself and I wanna find out who
I am as a person… Chimaev is completely different. Chimaev might
pick an okay guy, beat the dog out of him, just to walk away and be
like, ‘I’m Chimaev, I’m a bully, I just beat this guy up.’”
Strickland (30-7) lost his title and failed to regain it in a
rematch against Dricus Du
Plessis, whom Chimaev (15-0) dominantly dethroned last year.
However, Strickland recently scored a dominant stoppage win over
Anthony
Hernandez, who is also known for his grappling.