Nassourdine Imavov Puts Up $500K of His Own Money to Force Strickland Fight
Nassourdine Imavov offered $500,000 from his own pocket to make a Sean Strickland title fight happen in January.
Nassourdine Imavov is done waiting. After the UFC pulled his middleweight title shot against Sean Strickland from UFC 335 in December, Imavov went public with an offer most fighters would never consider: $500,000 of his own money to make the fight happen.
The pay dispute between Strickland and the UFC has been simmering for weeks. Per reports, Strickland was seeking $1 million for the bout while the UFC offered $400,000 to show and $400,000 to win. The gap proved too wide, and the UFC moved on, slotting Charles Oliveira vs. Diego Lopes for the BMF title as the new UFC 335 headliner on December 12 in Las Vegas.
Strickland was reportedly healthy and available, with zero injuries from a recent vehicle accident, per reporter Alex Behunin. The holdout appears entirely financial.
Imavov, who lost to Strickland previously, posted on social media targeting the champion directly. "If you still don't take it, then you're just scared," Imavov wrote. He then turned to the promotion: "UFC, THIS is your champ? Come on, STRIP HIM."
The Frenchman is pushing for a January date, potentially at UFC 336, and says money should no longer be an excuse. No signed agreement or formal announcement for the rescheduled bout exists yet, per Sherdog and LowKick MMA.
This is wild. A contender offering half a million dollars of his own money just to get a title shot tells you everything about the state of UFC middleweight right now. Strickland is sitting on that belt like it's a savings account, and Imavov is literally writing checks to make him fight.
I get it from Strickland's side. The man won the belt the hard way and wants to be compensated. But at some point, if you're the champion and you won't defend, what are we doing here? The UFC has to step in eventually. You can't let a champion hold a division hostage over purse negotiations while contenders are offering their own money.
Imavov calling for the strip was the right move. Put the pressure on the UFC. If Strickland won't fight for any amount, including $500K on top from his opponent, then make the belt vacant and let the rest of the division move on.
