Colby Covington expects Khamzat Chimaev to say a transparent benefit over Sean Strickland of their upcoming showdown.
Chimaev will make his first protection of the middleweight title towards former champion Strickland in the primary occasion of UFC 328, scheduled for Might ninth on the Prudential Middle in Newark, New Jersey.
“Bolts” gained the 185-pound title with a fierce grappling efficiency towards Doricus du Plessis, incomes a unanimous choice victory at UFC 319 in August 2025. The 31-year-old Chechen is undefeated at 15-0, together with a 9-0 shutout within the UFC, and is broadly anticipated to proceed his struggle streak towards Strickland with an aggressive method.
In the meantime, the 35-year-old American returned from a year-long hiatus after struggling a lopsided unanimous choice loss in his title struggle towards Doricas du Plessis at UFC 312 in February 2025. He bounced again strongly with a knockout win over rising contender Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston final month.
Strickland at present has a file of 17 wins and seven losses contained in the Octagon and might be aiming to regain the title he first gained with a call win over former champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in September 2023.
Colby Covington predicts Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland tactical method
In a current interview with Submission Radio, Colby Covington was requested his ideas on the title struggle between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland. Chaos described this as a stylistic mismatch and urged that Boltz would doubtless depend on elite grappling to neutralize Strickland’s hanging risk.
“No, I am not giving him (Strickland) an opportunity,” Covington stated. “(Anthony) Hernandez and Khamzat are utterly totally different ranges of grapplers and the way they method technique, so I feel Khamzat will beat him into submission.”
The previous UFC welterweight champion additionally revisited the broadly mentioned 2022 sparring session between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland, eliciting conflicting explanations from each side and claiming that the reigning champion dominated Strickland on the time and can doubtless repeat that efficiency on Might ninth.
“Schmo went to see them sparring at Excessive Couture a couple of years in the past and he just about stated it wasn’t aggressive. He simply beat him into submission. So I am anticipating the identical sport plan.”
Covington stated “Bolts” will doubtless make use of a calculated sport plan and take decisive management of the struggle.
“He isn’t going to stupidly decide fights with Shawn and switch it right into a kickboxing match. I feel he’ll simply straight up grapple and put Strickland in a very dangerous place and both drive him into submission or simply make him hold in there for 25 minutes.”
