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Coach confirms Sean Strickland turned down UFC 294 title fight with Khamzat Chimaev: ‘It didn’t make any sense’

Undisputed middleweight champion, Sean Strickland’s head coach, Eric Nicksick has confirmed how his student and team did, in fact, reject an offer on just over a weeks’ notice to defend the crown at UFC 294 last month against the unbeaten, Khamzat Chiamev – citing how a quick turnaround made little sense.

Strickland, the current undisputed middleweight champion, most recently turned in a shocking upset win over former two-time divisional titleholder, Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 back in September in Sydney, Australia – landing a hugely one-sided unanimous decision win over the City Kickboxing staple over the course of five rounds.