Sean Strickland doesn’t want his longtime teammate anywhere near the UFC.
UFC 328 is just around the corner, and it’s set to feature a middleweight title bout between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland.
In the lead-up to their matchup, both fighters have been taking shots at each other online.
Their camps also appear to be taking different approaches. While Chimaev has moved his training base to Dagestan, Strickland is getting ready in Las Vegas at Xtreme Couture.
Chimaev has set up his camp at Santo Studios in California, surrounded by a team packed with both current and former MMA fighters.
Meanwhile, Strickland remains at Xtreme Couture, where he and Chimaev used to train together. The former champion has also continued sparring with Alex Pereira as part of his preparations.
Now preparing for another big fight, Strickland has once again brought in Johnny Eblen to help him finish off his training camp.
Eblen is based at American Top Team but frequently joins Strickland for cross-training ahead of their respective bouts.
“I’ve been scrapping Johnny! Never let this man come to the UFC. Keep his ass where he’s at, f—— savage, bro,” Strickland said in a video posted on social media. “If this man was in the UFC he’d be fighting for the f—— belt.”
Eblen held the Bellator middleweight title before the promotion merged with PFL but later lost a PFL middleweight title fight to Costello Van Steenis.
Last year, he requested a release from the PFL hoping to join the UFC, but that move didn’t materialise. In March 2024, Eblen got back on track by submitting Bryan Battle in Pittsburgh during PFL action.
Given that both men compete in the same division and frequently train together it’s possible Strickland doesn’t want to face Eblen down the line if he does sign with Dana White’s organisation.
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