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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Farah Hannoun

Khamzat Chimaev: My skills are ‘in a whole different stratosphere’ from UFC champ Sean Strickland

ABU DHABI – Khamzat Chimaev thinks he’s levels above UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland.

In what is being dubbed as a No. 1 contender bout, Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) meets former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman (20-3 MMA, 15-2 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 294 co-headliner at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view at a special time of 2 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+.

Chimaev has trained with Strickland (28-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) before, but didn’t see anything that worried him. He respects Strickland’s fighting spirit, but sees himself far superior in all aspects.

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