UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland’s first title defense in his second reign as champion appears to be set. Strickland says a rematch with top contender, Nassourdine Imavov is next, but pay is still being worked out. The two men fought in January 2023 in the main event of a UFC Fight Night at the APEX. This time, the rematch will likely be the main event for UFC 335 in January. So it is very likely the two men will meet almost exactly four years after their first fight. Let’s talk MMA.

Strickland vs. Imavov 2 Key Facts

UFC 335 is the only major numbered card left this year without an announced main event, which is why the pay talks matter. Strickland’s full comment: “We’re discussing pay now. Once that detail is squared its locked in.” Chimaev has pushed for an immediate rematch and said this month he would instead take whoever wins.

Both men have seen a lot of change in their careers since the first meeting. Strickland rebounded from a split-decision loss to Jared Cannonier the month before to beat Imavov. Kelvin Gastelum was originally set to fight Imavov that night, but an injury forced him out and Strickland stepped in.

Strickland then stopped Abus Magomedov six months later in July, won a Performance of the Night bonus. The victory catapulted him into a title shot against Israel Adesanya two months later. Strickland upset Adesanya and became the middleweight champion. He’d lose the title in his first defense to Dricus du Plessis before beating Paulo Costa and then losing to DDP again in the rematch. Strickland earned another shot at the title after he stopped Anthony Hernandez in February.

He used that win to get a shot at champion Khamzat Chimaev in May. Strickland pulled another upset and is now in a position to defend against Imavov.

The challenger has been busy since the first meeting too. His first fight after the initial meeting came against Strickland’s training partner, Chris Curtis. That fight ended in a no contest after a clash of heads caused a cut. In February 2024, Imavov defeated Roman Dolidze by majority decision. He then stopped Cannonier in the fourth round back in June 2024. He then scored a unanimous-decision win over Brendan Allen in September 2024, a second-round TKO win over Adesanya in February 2025 and finally another unanimous-decision win over Caio Borralho in September 2025.

By the time he faces Strickland, he will have been inactive for 15+ months. We’ll see if the layoff hurts or helps, and we’ll see if he learned anything from the first fight.

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