The infamous sparring footage has finally arrived … kind of.
The clip, shared across Chimaev’s social media platforms, mostly features a handful of striking exchanges between the two Middleweights. There’s no grappling footage, no domination and no clear answer as to who got the better of the session.
Strickland has previously claimed he more than held his own during the sparring session; however, he admitted Chimaev submitted him while they were specifically drilling grappling. Chimaev, meanwhile, has repeatedly suggested the former champion struggled badly and implied the rounds weren’t competitive.
Based on the footage released, though, you’d never know any of that.
So, what exactly was the point of posting it?
Then again, with the actual fight just four days away, maybe none of the sparring footage really matters anymore.
UFC 328 media day takes place tomorrow, meaning Strickland will almost certainly have something to say about the leak — along with whatever other unfiltered chaos comes with it.
