Nassourdine Imavov is assured that his subsequent battle shall be contested for UFC gold.
Imavov has lengthy been seen by followers and pundits because the rightful No. 1 contender for the UFC Middleweight Championship. Some really feel he solidified his spot with a dominant unanimous resolution win over Caio Borralho at UFC Paris again in Sept. 2025. That was Imavov’s most up-to-date bout, and lots of have puzzled if he’s holding out for that title alternative.
Throughout a fan Q&A session on Jaiden Cable’s YouTube channel, Imavov mentioned that whereas he proposed a showdown with a former middleweight champion, he was advised by the UFC brass that his subsequent outing is for the title (by way of House of Combat).
“I needed to battle Dricus [du Plessis] to remain energetic, and the UFC advised me I might solely battle for the belt,” Imavov mentioned. “After Khamzat vs. Strickland, I’m 100% combating for the belt.”
Imavov truly has historical past with the reigning UFC middleweight titleholder Sean Strickland. Again in 2023, the 2 did battle in a light-weight heavyweight bout. Strickland gained that bout by way of unanimous resolution.
After Strickland pulled off an upset win over Khamzat Chimaev again in Might, he expressed curiosity in placing his gold at stake in opposition to Imavov. Chimaev has been calling for a rematch, however UFC CEO Dana White mentioned the following 185-pound title battle shall be determined by the followers.
Following his UFC OKC win over Kamaru Usman, du Plessis questioned Imavov’s inactivity through the post-fight press convention. This was previous to Imavov revealing that he requested for the matchup. Whether or not or not UFC matchmakers will e-book that matchup and Strickland vs. Chimaev 2 stays to be seen.
Ought to Nassourdine Imavov get the following crack on the UFC Middleweight Championship, or would you moderately see the rematch between Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev? Tell us within the feedback beneath.
