Sean Strickland Confirms Nassourdine Imavov Title Talks for UFC 335
Sean Strickland says a rematch with Nassourdine Imavov is in motion and that the only thing left is the paycheck.
A fan asked him directly on X whether the fight was real. Strickland did not hedge.
“Yeah were working out pay now,” he wrote.
That is as close as the champion has come to confirming the bout himself. Reporter Kevin, posting under @realkevink, separately reported that Strickland vs. Imavov is in the works as the UFC 335 main event on December 12. Those reports have not been followed by an official UFC announcement.
Treat the booking as advanced talks until the promotion posts the fight. Strickland’s reply still matters because the champion is the one saying the money is being negotiated.
Strickland is the two-time UFC middleweight champion at 31-7. He took the belt back from Khamzat Chimaev by split decision at UFC 328 on May 9 in Newark and has not defended it since.
Imavov is the No. 3-ranked middleweight at 17-4 with one no contest. He has won five in a row, including a fourth-round TKO of Jared Cannonier, a second-round knockout of former champion Israel Adesanya, and a five-round decision over Caio Borralho in Paris last September.
That last win was more than a year ago. Imavov has been waiting on a title shot while Strickland first beat Anthony Hernandez and then Chimaev.
They have already shared a cage. Strickland beat Imavov by unanimous decision on January 14, 2023, at UFC Fight Night in a five-round light heavyweight main event. The scorecards were 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47. Strickland out-landed him 182-123 in significant strikes and took the only takedown of the fight.
A rematch at 185 pounds is a different assignment. Imavov is 6-foot-3 with a longer frame and has finished ranked names since that loss. Strickland is the champion who has never successfully defended a UFC title in either reign.
Imavov has been public about wanting this one. In July he said the UFC told him his next fight would be for the belt and that the matchup with Strickland is personal. He accused Strickland of insulting him during fight week with Chimaev and said he does not like him.
Strickland has not answered those comments in this latest exchange. He only answered the booking question.
UFC 335 is dated for December 12 in Las Vegas. A title fight there would give Strickland his first defense of the second reign and give Imavov the shot he has been promised since Chimaev lost the belt.
Dricus du Plessis remains in the mix at No. 2 after beating Kamaru Usman. Chimaev is the No. 1 former champion. Neither of those names is the one Strickland just acknowledged.
Pay is often the last piece once both sides have agreed on the opponent and the date. Strickland putting that on the record suggests the fight is closer than a rumor and short of a signed poster.
If the UFC makes it official, the middleweight division gets a rematch with history already attached. Strickland won the first meeting at 205. Imavov has spent three years building the case that the second one should look different.
Until Las Vegas puts the graphic up, the story sits where Strickland left it. He is talking money. Imavov is the name on the other side of the table. December 12 is the date the reports keep using.
