When two of the UFC's most intense middleweights are set to collide, the buildup is bound to be explosive—and Khamzat Chimaev just turned up the heat.

The undefeated champion (15-0) dropped never-before-seen sparring footage with his upcoming opponent, Sean Strickland (30-7), ahead of their highly anticipated title fight at UFC 328. The main event goes down May 9 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, and the bad blood between these two is anything but manufactured.

It all started during a brief training stint together at Xtreme Couture MMA in Las Vegas. According to sources close to the camp, things went south fast after Strickland made controversial remarks about Chimaev's home region of Chechnya. Strickland later claimed Chimaev didn't show up when challenged to settle things like "men," while Chimaev simply says those who witnessed their sessions know exactly what happened.

One thing is certain: Chimaev made Strickland tap during sparring—a fact the American fighter himself admitted in a previous interview with The Schmo. Strickland has since downplayed the moment, calling it a "situational grappling drill" rather than a true submission.

More recently, Strickland accused Chimaev of bullying lesser fighters in the gym. "Borz" responded the only way he knows how—by posting a short clip of their sparring session on social media, captioned with a sarcastic: "I am bullying weak people 😂"

The video has already set the MMA world buzzing, and with fight night just days away, fans are left wondering: was that a preview of what's to come, or just another chapter in one of the sport's most personal rivalries?