Sean Strickland: “You gotta live and die by your word”

Josh Hokit slammed UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland and even went on to suggest ‘Tarzan’ was a coward for what transpired after UFC 328.

Strickland came into the fight against Khamzat Chimaev as the underdog. This was also ‘Borz’s’ first UFC title defense, and the pair traded several barbs ahead of the clash.

Many disparaging comments were made by Strickland about Chimaev’s family and religion. However, right before the fight, the pair touched gloves as a mark of respect.

Even after the fight, there was a lot of respect shown, which caught many off guard. Hokit didn’t agree with all this while speaking to Full Send MMA.

The American was asked if the pre-fight shenanigans were all just a gimmick, and believed the respect shown after the fight was not something he expected:

“Oh, no doubt. I just think that’s the coward’s way out, right there. I mean, you can’t take it back. The things he was saying, whether they are true or not, you can’t. You gotta live and die by your word, that’s at least how I go about it.”

Hokit also spoke about his dealings with Curtis Blaydes, and even after beating his rival, he didn’t change his tune:

“You didn’t see me trying to take anything back after the Curtis [Blaydes fight]. I didn’t try to talk to him after the fight.”

He continued:

“It is what it is. I am going to put these words out there, and you are going to have a chance to do something about it, and it’s going to be that. You either respect me or you don’t, after the fight.”

Hokit was also unhappy with how the fight was built up, and then it didn’t play out as expected:

“I can’t stand that. That’s part of the antics with me, I used to really want to tune in to certain fights, like, ‘I’m gonna go to the death,’ And I am like, man, I gotta tune in, they are going to war, they are saying. And then you turn on the fight, and it’s like…you guys were talking all this stuff, and you are not doing it.”

He added:

“Your actions speak otherwise, and so, I really can’t stand that. And so, that’s some coward s*** to me.”

Check out Josh Hokit’s take on Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland below:

Sean Strickland apologized for terrible comments after UFC 328 win

Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev earned each other’s respect at UFC 328 after their five-round war, but ‘Tarzan’ also had some things to say.

The newly crowned champion apologized for all of his comments leading up to the fight. ‘Tarzan’ issued the apology during the post-fight press conference:

“I just want to apologize to my American fans, to my Muslim fans, and Christian fans. I went too f**king hard, I admit it. I respect all of you guys. Chechnya’s great fighters are savage. This guy [Chimaev] is a savage. I should be a better f**king example. I try to sell these fights for you f**kers. I appreciate you.”