Shara Magomedov has bizarrely accused UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland of ducking him.
Magomedov recovered after a difficult opening round to earn a unanimous decision victory over Michel Pereira in the co-main event of UFC Baku on Saturday.
The one-eyed Russian star has primarily competed on UFC cards in the Middle East since signing with the promotion, with it widely rumored that he is unable to obtain medical clearance to compete on American soil.
Despite not even being ranked at 185 pounds, Magomedov launched into an explosive tirade when discussing Strickland on Sunday.
“I don’t even want to bother. He’s just a windbag, brother,” he told Red Corner MMA on Sunday.
“His time will come, and we’ll meet in the cage. The cage will show everything. Right now, he’s just talking trash, so what? What am I supposed to do, go to America to chase him or something?
“He’s like a domestic champion, brother. Just a house pet who acts like a big hero in his gym, playing the hero somewhere. For example, if they told him right now, ‘Come to Azerbaijan,’ he wouldn’t come, simply because he’s scared. He won’t leave America now.
“And if we had to fight, he would say, ‘Come to America,’ knowing that for me to go to America right now, getting a visa isn’t working out. So, he’ll just stay a domestic champion. If you tell him, ‘Come to Abu Dhabi,’ he’ll probably walk around with five security guards, and even then, he likely won’t go.
“There are many like that over there. They go, ‘I’m not going, and that’s it. I’m an American, so I will only fight here.’”
