Sean Strickland wants a bigger payday from the UFC before he faces Nassourdine Imavov, and the negotiation has dragged on for weeks. Khamzat Chimaev, who lost to Strickland in May, is using the standoff to push his own case for a rematch, backing it up with cash offers and pointed comments.
A Million-Dollar Offer for Strickland
On October 5, Khamzat Chimaev posted a message on X aimed at Sean Strickland: “I will pay you 1 [lemon emoji]. Send me location and let’s fight don’t care outside inside the cage.” The original post used a lemon emoji in place of the word million, a shorthand several American outlets translated directly into a one-million-dollar offer. Strickland has not publicly responded to the proposal.
The two men met on May 10 at UFC 328 in Newark, New Jersey (Prudential Center). Strickland pulled off the upset, beating Chimaev by split decision to hand the previously unbeaten fighter the first loss of his professional career and reclaim the middleweight title, a second reign for Strickland after his earlier run atop the division against Dricus du Plessis. Former training partners turned bitter rivals, the two had traded sharp words in the build-up to that fight and appeared to cool things off afterward. Over the past few weeks, the hostility has flared back up.
Strickland and the UFC at Odds Over Pay for Imavov Fight
Sean Strickland is set to defend his title against France’s Nassourdine Imavov on January 16 at UFC 336. The champion is reportedly asking for one million dollars for the fight, a figure the promotion has so far declined to meet according to American outlets. That pay disagreement is holding up the official announcement of a fight both camps have already acknowledged is coming.
Nassourdine Imavov tried to break the logjam himself, offering Strickland 500,000 dollars out of his own pocket, on the condition the champion actually beats him in January. Imavov lost to Strickland by unanimous decision back in 2023, but has since reeled off five straight wins, including victories over ranked contenders Israel Adesanya and Caio Borralho.
Chimaev Stays Busy Outside the Octagon
Chimaev has not sat idle since his May loss. He says he has won three wrestling matches since his last UFC appearance, a discipline he has kept up alongside MMA throughout his career. He is also booked to face Robbie Lawler on a crossover card called RAF 14, headlined by Arman Tsarukyan against Dillon Danis, and to meet Colby Covington on November 14 in Abu Dhabi for a crossover title tied to that event, held the same day as UFC 334. Those commitments, he says, already earn him more than Strickland pulls in from UFC purses.
Chimaev Is Already Eyeing the Winner
Chimaev said in early October that he would fight the winner of Strickland vs. Imavov. He needled Imavov over the delay: “There’s no surprise. How long has Imavov been waiting now?” while pointing out that he himself has been waiting for a rematch since his May loss.
On Wednesday, in comments relayed by the Home of Fight account and picked up by French outlets, Chimaev raised the volume again. He accused Strickland of avoiding both Imavov and himself, saying he is done waiting on the promotion to make a move: “I’m waiting and I’m open to anything.” He also said he already earns far more than Strickland outside the Octagon through his wrestling ventures, and argued the champion should simply take a fight rather than hold out for more money.
What It Means for the Division
Until the UFC and Sean Strickland settle on a number, his title defense against Nassourdine Imavov stays unofficial on the schedule, even with the January 16 date circulating for weeks. Once that fight is locked in, its outcome will decide who meets Khamzat Chimaev next, with the Chechen fighter waiting in the wings after the only loss of his career. For American fans, the stakes are straightforward: a champion who wants to be paid like one, a late-blooming French contender offering his own money to make the fight happen, and an ex-champion circling both of them while keeping busy in grappling and crossover combat sports on the side. Imavov’s path through the rankings can be followed on our UFC rankings page, alongside the latest UFC results and the full UFC schedule.
