Khamzat Chimaev has further escalated his ongoing feud with Sean Strickland by sharing an old photograph of Strickland with his father on social media, accompanied by comments questioning Strickland's masculinity. Chimaev's remarks come in light of Strickland's past revelations about his traumatic childhood, including experiences of domestic violence, which he discussed on a podcast in January 2024. Strickland has previously indicated that references to his childhood trauma are a sensitive topic for him. As the fighters prepare for their middleweight title bout at UFC 328 in Newark, tensions have heightened, with Strickland accusing the UFC of limiting his interactions with Chimaev to avoid potential conflict. Strickland has expressed his willingness to confront Chimaev if he perceives any unfair treatment, further intensifying the rivalry between the two fighters.