Strickland Says Imavov Title Fight Is One Detail From Done

Sean Strickland says his next middleweight title defense against Nassourdine Imavov is essentially locked in, with one last piece of business left to settle: the paycheck. The champion, 31-7, took to social media to reveal that the fight is only waiting on pay negotiations before it's official — even if the UFC hasn't publicly confirmed the matchup yet.

Strickland framed it bluntly, saying the money talks are underway and that once that's sorted, the fight is done. He also took a swipe at his likely opponent, dismissing Imavov as a "fake Frenchman" and claiming nobody's particularly interested in him. Charm has never been the pitch with Strickland.

The Contender Nobody's Talking About

Whatever Strickland thinks of the marketing, Imavov (17-4) has earned the shot the hard way. He's ridden a five-fight UFC win streak into the conversation, capped by a 2025 that included beating former champ Israel Adesanya and fellow contender Caio Borralho, currently the division's No. 5. Before that, 2024 was a clean sweep: Roman Dolidze, Jared Cannonier and Brendan Allen all fell inside a seven-month stretch.

That's a résumé built on activity and quality, not hype — which is exactly why the sales-pitch complaint feels a little rich. Beating Adesanya alone should move tickets. Beating Borralho, the No. 5 guy, on top of it makes Imavov the most obvious next challenger on the roster.

How Strickland Got the Belt Back

Strickland's own path back to the top has been busy. He reclaimed the title with a split-decision upset over Khamzat Chimaev this past May, less than three months after knocking out Anthony Hernandez — now ranked No. 6 at 15-4 — to bounce back from his earlier title loss to Dricus Du Plessis. Two fights in a quarter of a year, one of them a KO, the other a championship. That's a real pace.

So the picture is clear: two active fighters, both coming off big wins, both with something to prove. The only thing standing between fans and this fight, according to the champ, is a number on a contract. Whether Strickland's promotion of Imavov as an anonymous stand-in helps or hurts the gate is another question entirely.