Du Plessis Says Imavov Repeats History, Loses Strickland Rematch

Few people on earth know Sean Strickland's fight better than Dricus du Plessis. The South African shared 50 minutes of cage time with him across two middleweight title fights and walked away with both decisions. So when du Plessis breaks down why Strickland is a nightmare matchup, it carries weight — and his verdict on the champ's likely first defense is blunt: Nassourdine Imavov loses the rematch.

Strickland is champion again after one of the year's biggest upsets, beating Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328. Du Plessis lost the belt to Chimaev before Strickland took it back, so the picture is messy — but DDP's explanation of how Strickland did it is the interesting part. He told Fight Forecast that Strickland's underrated wrestling base and ridiculous cardio let him drag opponents into deep water. Du Plessis says he took Strickland down roughly seven times and still couldn't keep him there.

Why Strickland Is a Problem

The blueprint, according to du Plessis, is pace. Strickland never panicked off his back against Chimaev — he kept working, kept scrambling, and let Chimaev burn himself out chasing a finish. Once the takedowns stopped landing, DDP said, Chimaev was forced to stand and trade. That's Strickland's fight, and he wins it every time.

Now the UFC appears to be lining up Strickland against Imavov, who's done everything right to earn it. Imavov has won five straight, capped by a knockout of former champ Israel Adesanya, to lock down the top contender spot at 185. The two already met in 2023 — a short-notice bout at 205 pounds that Strickland took on the cards.

Du Plessis Sees a Repeat

Du Plessis respects the run but isn't sold on the matchup. He pointed out Imavov's long layoff and argued he hasn't shown enough evolution since the first meeting, especially on the feet. Imavov fights off the back foot, hitting and moving, avoiding the firefight. Against a pressure machine like Strickland, DDP thinks that's a losing formula — he compared Imavov's style to Adesanya's, a style Strickland already cracked by walking forward behind airtight defense.

His conclusion was tidy: expect the same result and the 'And Still' call. Worth noting the counterargument, though — Strickland tends to look best against wrestlers who feed his counters, and Imavov isn't trying to take anyone down. The first fight was also a chaotic short-notice swap, hardly a clean read on a true 185-pound rematch. DDP has earned the right to his opinion, but this one's closer to a coin flip than he's letting on.