Nassourdine Imavov is sure of two very important things — that he is going to fight for the UFC middleweight title next, and he really, really wants to fight Sean Strickland again.
Imavov watched Strickland finish Anthony Hernandez in the main event of UFC Houston this past Saturday night. Imavov, who entered the year as the division’s No. 1 contender with an impressive five-fight win streak, heard, and is still hearing pundits say that the winner of that fight between Strickland and Hernandez could leapfrog him in the title conversation.
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The surging contender understands how the UFC works sometimes, but he says that Strickland getting the shot over him wouldn’t make sense.
“Yes, of course I heard it a little bit, but you know it means nothing to me because what are you going to do? Strickland is coming off of a loss against [Dricus du Plessis], then he won against Hernandez [who’s] best win was [Roman] Dolidze that I [had] already beaten four fights ago,” Imavov told MMA Fighting. “And then this guy will have the privilege to go for the belt after one victory? So for me, it makes no sense. And also before, he already had this chance because when he lost to DDP then he fought against Paulo Costa, and he got another chance for the title and lost again.
“So for me, it doesn’t mean anything because at the end of the day, it remains sport. Of course there is entertainment around that, but it remains sport, and it’s not because the guy had a big mouth that that he can jump everything. But I know that’s the UFC that makes the choice, but what you have to understand is that it remains sports and no one in this division deserves the title more than me.
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“Guys, I don’t repeat it enough, but I have a five [fight] win streak against three top-10 opponents, two top-five opponents in less than 18 months. Nobody did that before, so I know that my next fight should be for the title and nothing else.”
The aftermath of Strickland’s win creates a very interesting conundrum for the UFC in the new Paramount era.
The promotion has faced criticism when it comes to its first two main event title fights of 2026 with many believing there were more deserving fighters than Paddy Pimblett and Diego Lopes in their respective championship bouts. Strickland is a former champ who got a second chance after losing the title to du Plessis, and following a year away, picked up a dominant victory over Hernandez, who entered the bout on an eight-fight win streak.
Imavov arguably deserved a title shot before new champ Khamzat Chimaev, but the UFC went with Chimaev, who dominated du Plessis at UFC 319 this past August.
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But while the majority of the fan base believes Strickland is the most likely challenger to face Chimaev next, Imavov wants to ask a question — especially since he sees Chimaev winning that potential fight in dominant fashion.
“If it happens, we all know the result,” Imavov explained. “We all know the result, and that’s a mismatch because what will happen is what happened tens of times at the gym: [Chimaev] will bring him down and choke him out. He will choke him out in the first round. So maybe the buildup of this fight will be great with all trash talking and all shit talk, but at the end of the day the fight will be useless because it will end very quickly, and he knows that.
“Fans should determine it. What do you guys prefer? You prefer a big buildup with someone speaking trash and everything, and then there is no fight? Or do you prefer two guys [fighting], very strong, respectful towards each other, but when they enter the cage, you can expect kind of world war? Because it will be huge, him against me. No one wants to lose and I’m not this guy. So the competition will be tough, and I’m here to bring a big challenge
“So that’s my question. What do you guys want? To see someone speaking a lot, or a fight that you will remember for ages? That’s it.”
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But what is Imavov’s plan if Strickland does get that title shot against Chimaev?
”If it happens, how I will handle it is, like I said to the UFC, I want to fight only for the belt,” Imavov said “I want to fight only for the belt. So that’s my point: The only fight I want, and I think I deserve it, and everyone knows I deserve it, it’s for the belt. So it doesn’t matter. We will see how we will react, but, of course, like I said, I [told] Mick and Hunter, that the only fight I want is for the belt, and that’s all that I’m expecting. Nothing else.
“I’ve showed everything. I’ve showed that I can be an active fighter like the UFC likes. Like I told you: Five fights [in] 18 months against all top-10 guys. I’ve shown that I can finish, guys. I finished Adesanya, I finished [Jared] Cannonier in the last five fights. And so I showed that the only place where I belong is the title fight, and that’s it. And then, we’ll see according to what they do, but like I said, I don’t change my mind. The only thing I deserve is the belt, and I’m willing to fight for the belt, and that’s it. I’m in the UFC for the belt, for nothing else, no awareness or no money or whatever. I’m here for the belt.”
Following Strickland’s victory, Imavov called out Strickland for a matchup, possibly for a vacant title. Perhaps, Imavov sees the writing on the wall as Chimaev continues to tease a move up to the light heavyweight division.
Imavov and Chimaev know each other pretty well, so if Chimaev does make the move up, Imavov would love to run it back with Strickland after their first meeting ended with a short-notice Strickland victory in a light heavyweight bout at UFC Vegas 67 in January 2023.
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“About Strickland, it was a proposal,” Imavov said. “It was a proposal because, guys, something you need to understand is [for] two years, I’m asking the UFC for this guy. I don’t want to make excuses or whatever about [the first fight at] light heavyweight, about short notice and everything, because when I left this fight, I was like so disappointed that I said something simple is that I will show people with my fist where I belong. And then you saw all the path between my fight against Sean Strickland, [to right now]. We had Chris Curtis. It was a masterclass until until the fight was stopped.
“So for the things I know you guys saw Khamzat tweeted that he wants to go up to 205, that’s the first thing. For knowing him, I know he’s heavy, and it will be easier for him to make the weight for the light heavyweight division.
“Then the five guys from the top 10 I beat, so I showed with my fists, and that’s what I wanted because I’m not the kind of guy that makes excuses. Of course there are many elements in this fight that make these fights so strange, and he knows that. It was not the real Nassourdine Imavov inside the cage because a lot of factors, but it doesn’t matter. And the Nassourdine right now is very different, and you guys can agree on that, than the one the one that fight maybe three years before against Sean Strickland. It’s very different and you guys saw it, and right now it would be a totally different atmosphere.
“But also why I made this proposal, because it can be a big, big, big, big fight. It can be a big fight in the buildup because I don’t speak so much, but this guy, I really hate him. So it will be fireworks outside of the cage. It will be this guy, if I meet him like for the weigh-in or whatever, we can fight. If I see him in the street, I can fight him. I can brawl him. And in the cage, it will be World War, and he will finish with a lot of blood and unconscious. That’s what I can tell you is that you can’t expect a bigger fight at middleweight right now than this fight, because it will be two strikers going at war and one will finish unconscious. Unconscious. That’s what I’m telling you.”
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Imavov’s hatred for Strickland has only grown since their first fight. As much as “The Sniper” would love to face Chimaev and have the chance to hand him his first ever loss, Imavov says if the UFC offered him the choice between facing Chimaev or facing Strickland, he’d put history aside for a chance at revenge, and put his hands on a man he truly and utterly despises.
“Of course, Khamzat is a big challenge, and he knows and we know and the UFC knows that I’m able to go to this fight and I’m willing to go to this fight,” Imavov explained. “Whatever happens, because what I said since a lot of time, it’s [just] not right now, is the only thing I’m focusing on is the belt, not the owner of the belt. And that’s not since Khamzat get this belt that I said that, but I said that way before, because that’s the only thing that matters at the end of the day is the belt around my waist.
“If the UFC call me tomorrow with the hate I have in my heart, of course it will be Sean Strickland, and then I can fight Khamzat or whatever. But what I have in my heart right now is to erase this defeat, this loss I had a few years ago, and beat this guy because I hate him. I don’t like the way he speaks. I don’t like the way he thinks. I don’t like the way he speaks about my people. So like I said, and even in terms of fighting, like I can tell you guys, both of those fights will be world wars. Both of those fights will be crazy, but the one with Sean. I will leave him dead inside the cage.”
