UFC champion Strickland says rematch with Imavov 'almost done'

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland says a title fight against Nassourdine Imavov is nearly finalized.

MMA Fighting and Sherdog reported Tuesday (Korean Standard Time) that Strickland disclosed the state of negotiations for a rematch with Imavov through his social media.

"We're talking about fight money right now. Once that's sorted, it's done," Strickland said. "Nobody cares about that 'fake Frenchman,' but we're almost there."

UFC has yet to make an official announcement, but based on Strickland's account, the two sides have reached broad agreement on the matchup itself, with fight purse the only remaining sticking point. Foreign media have reported that UFC 335, scheduled for Dec. 12 in Las Vegas, is being discussed as the venue for the rematch.

Strickland and Imavov have met once before. In January 2023, Strickland was brought in as a last-minute replacement for Kelvin Gastelum just five days before the fight. Because of the tight weight-cut timeline, the bout was held at light heavyweight, and Strickland won by unanimous decision after five rounds.

Imavov has not lost since. He ran through Roman Dolidze, Jared Cannonier and Brendan Allen, then defeated former champion Israel Adesanya, and added a decision win over Caio Borralho in September last year to extend his winning streak to five. MMA Fighting said Imavov has cemented his status as the top title contender on the strength of that run.

Strickland reclaimed the middleweight title in May at UFC 328, defeating then-champion Hamzat Chimaev by split decision over five rounds. If the Imavov bout is confirmed, it will be Strickland's first title defense since regaining the belt.

Former champion Chimaev has not stepped back from the title picture. According to MMA Fighting, Chimaev initially wanted an immediate rematch with Strickland but has since said he is willing to fight the winner of a Strickland-Imavov bout.

One question mark is Strickland's physical condition. He was involved in a serious vehicle accident just a week ago. According to British outlet talkSPORT and others, Strickland was riding in an off-road vehicle driven by an acquaintance in Las Vegas when the crash occurred. By his own account, the vehicle was traveling at roughly 60 miles per hour (about 97 kilometers per hour) when it rolled over and tumbled approximately six times.

Strickland was not wearing a helmet at the time and struck his head on the ground, sustaining cuts as well as shoulder pain and concussion symptoms. Immediately after the accident, he said, "I wasn't wearing a helmet. I was an idiot," adding, "I think I have a little bit of a concussion."

Despite that, he was back at the gym the very next day. MMA Mania reported that Strickland posted footage of himself returning to training just one day after the crash.

Strickland had already said he needed time to recover from a shoulder injury sustained during the Chimaev title fight. The vehicle accident compounded those concerns, yet he is now openly discussing negotiations for his first title defense against Imavov, signaling that his return is taking concrete shape.

With no official UFC announcement yet, the picture is nonetheless tilting toward Imavov as Strickland's first challenger. Unlike their hastily arranged first meeting three years ago, the two now appear increasingly likely to share the octagon again with the UFC middleweight belt on the line.