Sean Strickland vs. Nassourdine Imavov Is Reportedly Targeted for February: What Has Actually Been Agreed
Sean Strickland has been the UFC middleweight champion since May and has not defended the belt. He has not signed to defend it either. MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn reported this week that the promotion is targeting February for Strickland against Nassourdine Imavov, somewhere in Florida, and that the bout “may even be signed or close to being signed.”
That is the entire report. No date, no venue, no event number, nothing from the UFC itself.
What is actually confirmed
Strickland took the title back at UFC 328 on May 9 in Newark, beating Khamzat Chimaev by split decision on cards of 47-48, 48-47, 48-47 and ending Chimaev’s unbeaten run. It is his second reign. He beat Israel Adesanya for the belt in 2023 and lost it to Dricus du Plessis in January 2024.
Imavov is 17-4 with one no contest and has won five straight, including a second-round stoppage of Adesanya in February 2025 and a decision over Caio Borralho in Paris last September. He has never fought for a UFC title.
The two have met once, in January 2023 at the UFC Apex, where Strickland won a unanimous decision. That was a light heavyweight catchweight bout with nothing on the line, which is worth remembering every time somebody calls February a title rematch.
The money is the holdup
This fight was already booked once, for UFC 335 on Dec. 12, and it fell apart. Strickland called the UFC’s offer “insulting” and said on Oct. 9 that he “will not fight or sign any contract until I get this figured out.” Two days before that he told a fan on X he “wouldn’t even care to give up my belt and go to 205.”
Dana White’s answer on Oct. 14 was dismissive. “When isn’t Sean Strickland upset about something or doesn’t have something to say?” White said. “Sean Strickland just signed a new contract in May. The number that he claimed he made is not true.”
White did not say what the real number is. The figures circulating online, a reported million-dollar ask against a $400,000 show and $400,000 win offer, trace back to an anonymous social account and have not been confirmed by the promotion, the champion or anyone else with a name.
Imavov tried to force it himself. On Oct. 4 he posted that he would put $500,000 of his own money on the line, payable only if Strickland beat him, and followed it with “if you still don’t take it, then you’re just scared.” He finished by telling the UFC to strip the belt.
The context the promotion will not discuss
The UFC’s $7.7 billion Paramount deal took effect this year and killed pay-per-view. Every numbered card and Fight Night now arrives with a Paramount+ subscription. White called it a win for the athletes and gave no compensation details. Champions used to make their real money on pay-per-view points, that revenue line no longer exists, and the first title fight to stall over pay since the deal landed is this one. The promotion has never publicly connected those dots, so treat the link as an argument rather than a fact.
Derek Brunson, who asked for his UFC release in 2023 and has fought elsewhere since, was asked about the standoff this week and did not side with the promotion. “There’s definitely like some favouritism and guys get a little better opportunity than others,” Brunson said, while noting that “the money that he’s getting paid versus what I was getting paid are two different things.”
What to believe for now
February is a target, not a booking. Until the UFC announces a card, Strickland is a champion with no scheduled defense and Imavov is a contender closing in on 18 months without a fight. For a division with an obvious fight sitting right there, that is a bad way to spend a year.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
