In Brief
- French fighter Nassourdine Imavov says the UFC has guaranteed him his next fight will be for the middleweight title against champion Sean Strickland.
- According to him, the organization told him he would only fight for the belt going forward, with a timeline suggested for late 2026.
- The rivalry with Strickland is also personal: Imavov says the champion called him a “terrorist” and admits he does not like him.
Nassourdine Imavov is leaving no doubt about his intentions: the Frenchman says his next fight will be for the middleweight title against American champion Sean Strickland. “The UFC told me I can only fight for the belt,” Imavov said, adding that he is “100 percent” certain the matchup will happen.
According to several American outlets that spoke with him, the fight could be scheduled for fall or winter 2026, with Sean Strickland himself mentioning a December return after a shoulder injury. UFC president Dana White has not publicly confirmed that Imavov will be the next challenger, with former champion Khamzat Chimaev also seeking a rematch against Strickland.
Beyond the sporting stakes, the rivalry between the two men has clearly turned personal. Imavov says Strickland called him a “terrorist” during a previous fight week, a jab he has not gotten over. “I don’t like him. It’s personal between him and me,” the Frenchman said, having never hidden his desire to settle things directly with the champion.
Nassourdine Imavov has established himself in recent seasons as one of the most solid middleweights in the rankings, carried by a string of notable wins that have put him in position as a legitimate title contender. A win over Sean Strickland would make him the first French UFC world champion in a men’s division, a strong symbol for French MMA following the runs of Ciryl Gane and Benoît Saint Denis at heavyweight and lightweight.
It is now up to the UFC to make the date and location of this long-awaited clash official. In the meantime, Imavov is keeping up the public pressure, refusing to let Khamzat Chimaev take the chance at a fight he already considers his.
The rankings context makes Imavov’s claim all the more legitimate. Currently ranked third in the world at middleweight, the Frenchman sits ahead in the rankings of former champion Khamzat Chimaev (ranked number one) and Dricus Du Plessis (ranked number two), two men who, like him, are also coming off a title setback. Chimaev had lost his belt to Strickland at UFC 328 without managing a single successful title defense during his reign, while Du Plessis is also coming off a recent title loss. Imavov, the only one of the three on a five-fight winning streak, had already voiced his frustration at being passed over in favor of Strickland when the fight against Chimaev was set up for UFC 328.
It is precisely that past frustration that fuels his public insistence today. The Frenchman wants to avoid repeating a scenario where another contender, in this case Khamzat Chimaev, jumps ahead of him for an immediate rematch against Strickland despite a less favorable record. By repeating firm statements on social media and to American outlets, Imavov is looking to lock in a promise he says he received privately from the organization, even before any official announcement.
The main obstacle, however, remains Khamzat Chimaev himself, who has lost none of his star status despite his defeat and continues to publicly demand his rematch against Strickland. The middleweight division thus finds itself with three legitimate contenders for a single available belt, a situation that ultimately leaves Dana White and Sean Strickland himself with the final say on the choice of the next challenger.
For now, the UFC has not officially announced a date or location for this title fight. But between Imavov’s repeated statements, the return timeline Strickland has mentioned for late in the year, and the absence of any other clearly designated opponent, the signs are piling up in favor of a confirmation in the coming weeks.
Coming up: the official rankings after this event, and the card for the next event on UFC Tonight.
