Sean Strickland says his first UFC middleweight title defense against Nassourdine Imavov now comes down to one thing, his purse. The bout is targeted for UFC 335 on December 12, 2026 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, but the promotion has not announced it.
Targeted for December 12 in Las Vegas
The matchup has been circulating for weeks without ever landing on an official card. Sean Strickland, the UFC middleweight champion, and Nassourdine Imavov, the division’s No. 3 contender, are expected to headline UFC 335 on December 12, 2026 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The promotion has yet to confirm the booking and neither man has signed.
Imavov tipped his hand on September 5 at the UFC Paris weigh-ins. “I know the date of my next fight, and it’s for the title,” the Frenchman told reporters, without adding any detail. He was not on the Paris card and watched it as a spectator.
Imavov has won five straight. The most recent, a unanimous decision over Caio Borralho at UFC Paris, moved him to the front of the line at 185 pounds (84 kg). On paper his case is no longer arguable, he is the designated next challenger for the belt.
Strickland is holding out on pay
The champion has been blunt about what is slowing the announcement. “We’re discussing pay now. Once that detail is squared it’s locked in,” Strickland said. The American is not disputing the opponent or the date, only the number the UFC is putting in front of him.
It would be his first defense since taking the belt from Khamzat Chimaev. Strickland is 31-7 as a professional and has built his career on high output and constant forward pressure rather than quick finishes. Chimaev was the last man to face it with a belt on the line, and Strickland came away with the title.
Pay talks between a champion and the UFC are nothing new and they almost always get resolved. Until the contract is signed, though, the December 12 booking is an intention rather than a deal, and that is the only reason the UFC 335 card has not been released with this fight on top of it.
The trash talk has escalated
The wait has left room for words. Strickland questioned his opponent’s French identity, calling him a “pseudo-Frenchman,” a line that traveled fast on both sides of the Atlantic.
Imavov did not let it go. The fighter, a naturalized French citizen who trains in the Paris area, has represented France since his UFC debut. His public reply was direct and he walked none of it back, which raised the temperature around a fight that does not officially exist yet. Neither man has shown any interest in cooling it down since.
The exchanges serve both camps. A year-end title defense needs a storyline to sell, and the personal turn this one has taken supplies it without the UFC spending a dollar on promotion.
January 2023, the first chapter
The two have already met. In January 2023, Strickland won a unanimous decision in a fight decided at range and on the pace the American set.
Three years later the picture is different. Imavov, 17-4, has changed status. He has reeled off five wins and climbed into official contender position. Strickland, meanwhile, has become champion. The rematch would therefore be fought with a belt on the line, which was not the case the first time.
For French MMA the stakes go beyond the result. A world title brought back to Paris in December would give the sport a showcase no other year-end booking can match.
Poirier and Masvidal lean Strickland
Two former UFC fighters have weighed in. Jorge Masvidal says he is looking forward to the matchup and credits the Frenchman’s technical game. “He thinks several moves ahead,” Masvidal said of Imavov, before picking the champion anyway on the strength of his relentless pressure. Masvidal called the booking a great matchup and said he was excited to see it made.
Dustin Poirier landed in the same place for a different reason. “It’s hard to pick against Sean after what he just did,” the Louisiana native said, pointing to the performance that won Strickland the belt.
Both agree on one point, this defense will not be a formality for the champion. What remains is whether the money gets settled in time for the December 12 date to hold. Until the UFC puts out a card, nothing about this fight is binding on anyone.
