Chael Sonnen reveals text from Sean Strickland after Khamzat Chimaev’s teeth-shattering UFC 308 win

Chael Sonnen reached out to Sean Strickland immediately after Khamzat Chimaev’s eye-opening victory at UFC 308.

Chimaev ran over former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in the co-main event of this past Saturday’s UFC pay-per-view card. Speaking with Daniel Cormier, Sonnen read a text he got from Strickland in the aftermath of Chimaev’s incredible performance.

“‘How locked in were you, Sean?’ And this is what I asked him, and I’m going to make this public, you’ll make me look good if you give me a quote you didn’t give anybody else,’” Sonnen said on Good Guy / Bad Guy. “Here’s, eventually, what he said:

“And I quote, ‘I’m next in line. It has been said, it has been written’ — I wish he would’ve elaborated on that. ‘After I beat Dricus up, Chimaev can step up. And to the point that Chimaev is a contender, I welcome that, but I have Dricus next. The man who scammed his [fans], became friends with a dictator and had to flee his homeland while staying on the run needs to tighten his own leash up a little bit. Hey Chimaev, sit down and wait your turn.”

Dana White has repeatedly said that Strickland would be next for du Plessis. In January at UFC 297, du Plessis captured the middleweight title in a very close decision win. Du Plessis went on to stop Israel Adesanya in his first title defense at UFC 305 in August, while Strickland defeated Paulo Costa in a five-rounder at UFC 302 in June.

With Chimaev’s win, it would be 100 percent understandable if White and the UFC switched gears.

“His second win over [former] world champions in as many fights, and oh, by the way, from two different weight classes in Kamaru Usman and Robert Whittaker,” Sonnen said. “Yes, this is amazing stuff, but to my understanding, Sean Strickland is next.”