Strickland Reportedly Set To Face Imavov

Sean Strickland is reportedly targeted to make the first defense of his second middleweight title reign against No. 3-ranked contender Nassourdine Imavov at UFC 335 on December 12 in Las Vegas.

Strickland first won the title from Israel Adesanya in September 2023, lost it to Dricus du Plessis in January 2024, and came up short in a rematch a year later before reclaiming the belt with a split decision win over Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328 in May. He has yet to record a successful UFC title defense.

Imavov enters on a five-fight win streak that includes wins over Roman Dolidze, Jared Cannonier, Brendan Allen, Adesanya and Caio Borralho. The two have fought once before, with Strickland winning a decision at heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight in January 2023.