Nassourdine Imavov calls for UFC middleweight title shot
Nassourdine Imavov recently took to X to stake his claim to a middleweight title shot, while calling on the UFC to honor a potential promise that he would be next in line for a crack at championship gold.
Nassourdine Imavov, among the best in the UFC middleweight division, is gunning for the 185-pound title. He is now on X, calling for the promotion to announce him as the official number one contender for Sean Strickland's championship belt, and given the state of the division, no one is in a better position than him to have the next crack at middleweight gold.
Nassourdine Imavov makes his case for a title shot
In his most recent X post, Nassourdine Imavov dismissed the chatter surrounding the middleweight title picture, expressing his belief that the UFC will stand by an alleged promise that he will be next in line. In fact, 'The Sniper' tagged the promotion's matchmaker, Mick Maynard, along with Sean Strickland himself:
"Plenty of talk around the championship fight lately. I believe everyone will stand on what they said."
His X post can be seen below:
Plenty of talk around the championship fight lately. I believe everyone will stand on what they said #hunter @Mickmaynard2 #nohappyending @SStricklandMMA
— Imavov Nassourdine (@imavov1) May 28, 2026
It's hard to argue against Imavov's case, especially when context is taken into account. Khamzat Chimaev, the previous middleweight champion, had zero successful title defenses and just lost the belt to Strickland at UFC 328. There is very little justification for an immediate rematch, despite Chimaev demanding one. Meanwhile, Dricus du Plessis, who also expressed an interest in facing Strickland, who he twice beat at UFC 297 and UFC 312, is himself coming off a loss, having previously dropped the title to Chimaev in a lopsided defeat at UFC 319.
So, while both men are ranked ahead of Imavov in the division, with Chimaev ranked #1 and du Plessis ranked #2, both men are coming off title losses. Imavov, by contrast, who is ranked #3, is on a five-fight win streak, having beaten the other two fighters ranked below him in the divisional top five, along with a TKO of legendary champion Israel Adesanya at UFC Fight Night 250. However, a title shot for Imavov would mean more than just a chance to enthrone himself as a UFC champion. He is also determined to avenge his loss to Strickland, who defeated him via unanimous decision in a light heavyweight bout at UFC Fight Night 217.
