Sean Strickland breaks social media silence just minutes after explosive UFC 328 press conference

Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland needed eight words to describe his reaction to a chaotic faceoff with Khamzat Chimaev.

After months of bad blood, UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev and former titleholder Sean Strickland came face-to-face for the first time ahead of UFC 328 this Saturday in Newark. The former Xtreme Couture training partners came together at the UFC 328 pre-fight press conference alongside co-headliners Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira, and chaos quickly ensued.

Chimaev and Strickland have traded personal barbs for months ahead of their UFC 328 main event. That didn’t stop at Thursday’s press conference, and a high security presence on stage kept the two sides separated for the duration of the promotional appearance.

Despite concerns that Chimaev and Strickland could throw hands at the press conference, UFC CEO Dana White gave the green light to let the UFC 328 opponents face off on stage in front of a raucous crowd. During the staredown and trash talk, Chimaev appeared to kick Strickland’s lower body, angering the former titleholder and nearly causing mayhem to break out at the venue.

Sean Strickland reacts to wild press conference and Khamzat Chimaev faceoff kick

In a recent tweet posted just minutes after the press conference, Strickland reacted to the chaos and his first fight week faceoff with Chimaev.

“Exactly what I expected a coward to do,” Strickland posted.

As of this writing, Chimaev hasn’t posted anything to social media since the UFC 328 press conference faceoff with Strickland.

Chimaev won the UFC middleweight title by dismantling Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319 last year and remains unbeaten in his MMA career. Meanwhile, Strickland earned the next shot at Chimaev after a shocking finish of Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston earlier this year.

Tensions are ramping up ahead of UFC 328, and Chimaev and Strickland will come face-to-face one final time at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-in. Once the cage doors close on Saturday night, it’s safe to expect these two middleweight rivals to deliver an instant classic showdown.

What is your prediction for Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland? Let us know in the comments!