Sean Strickland explodes at former rival Brendan Allen for training with Khamzat Chimaev ahead of UFC 328

Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland didn’t hold back on his one-time rival Brendan Allen for teaming up with Khamzat Chimaev.

There’s little love and respect between Sean Strickland and UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev ahead of their fight at UFC 328. The two middleweights are trading threats ahead of their showdown in the Octagon on Saturday in Newark, and the UFC employed a high-security presence to separate Strickland and Chimaev during fight week.

Chimaev’s UFC 328 camp has featured several stars, including top lightweight Arman Tsarukyan and one of Strickland’s former foes, Brendan Allen. Strickland knocked out Allen in November 2020 en route to becoming a fan favorite in the middleweight division.

Ahead of UFC 328, Allen has explicitly called out Strickland for some of his recent remarks about Chimaev and claimed he would get the better of Strickland in a UFC press conference setting. It didn’t take long for Strickland to respond to his former foe.

Sean Strickland reignites feud with former rival Brendan Allen ahead of UFC 328

In a recent media scrum with Spinnin’ Backfist and other outlets, Strickland responded to Allen reigniting their feud ahead of UFC 328.

Be honest… does Sean Strickland have one of the best short notice résumés in the UFC?

He beat Brendan Allen on 6 days notice. 🔥#UFC328pic.twitter.com/eIDVyl3Ugp

— The Fight Fanatic (@FightFanatic_) May 5, 2026

“The guy has an Instagram handle on his truck. I beat him on short notice…Chris Curtis beat him twice on short notice and got robbed by the racist judges. But Brendan Allen, you are the definition of a c—,” Strickland said of Allen.

“You’re ranked five, my boy [Edmen Shahbazyan] is about to beat you. You’re talking about a title fight – and you go and train with the current champion, and the whole world just watched him f— you up, over and over and over again. All we know about your training camp is that you’re getting your a– kicked by f—— Chimaev.

“You’ll never fight for the belt, you are a f—— r—–,” Strickland continued. “If you want to get some advice from me, you f—– r—–, stop training with the champ and letting him beat the f— out of you for weeks at a time.”

Allen will face Edmen Shahbazyan next month at an upcoming UFC Fight Night event in Las Vegas. A win over Shahbazyan could potentially move Allen one step closer to a rematch with Strickland, depending on the result of the UFC 328 headliner.

What is your prediction for Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland at UFC 328? Let us know in the comments!