Nassourdine Imavov Offers $500K of His Own Money to Make Sean Strickland Fight Happen in January

The last time the middleweight championship was on the line, it resulted in a major upset as Khamzat Chimaev lost his belt to Sean Strickland. Since then, fans have been waiting to see Strickland defend his title against Nassourdine Imavov. While the fight is in negotiations, reports suggest that the champion is not happy with the pay he is being offered. Reacting to this, Imavov took a shot at ‘Tarzan,’ saying he is ready to give money from his own pocket to make the fight happen.

Sean Strickland Says Nassourdine Imavov Fight Is Close to Being Locked

Strickland is reportedly asking for a million dollars to fight Imavov on January 16 at UFC 336, while the offer on the table is said to be $400K show money plus $400K to win. Responding to that, Imavov didn't hold back. On X, he wrote if it's really about the money, he's willing to put $500K of his own on the line if the champ can beat him. He made it clear he's putting that on record and added that if ‘Tarzaan’ still won't take the fight after an offer like that, it just shows he's scared.

Imavov said, “If it’s really about money, I’ll put $500K of my own money on the line if you beat me in January @SStricklandMMA putting this on record If you still don’t take it, then you’re just scared. I’ll handle you outside. @ufc THIS is your champ? Come on STRIP HIM #NoHappyEnding.”

For those who don’t know, Strickland and Imavov have already fought once before, back in 2023, and the current champ came out on top with a clear unanimous decision. Since that loss, though, Imavov hasn't dropped a single fight. He's riding a five-fight win streak now, with notable wins over names like Israel Adesanya and Caio Borralho along the way.

Khamzat Chimaev Backs Nassourdine Imavov Ahead of Sean Strickland Showdown

Chimaev talked about the middleweight title fight with Ushatayka. He said he's not surprised that Imavov gets to fight for the belt next. The former champ said Imavov has been waiting a really long time, so it makes sense. ‘Borz’ also said he will fight whoever wins the next fight. He said he won't stop until he beats everyone in his weight class.

“There's no surprise. How long has Imavov been waiting now? He's already the contender. Whoever wins, we'll take him,” Chimaev said.

Earlier, Chimaev said he wanted to go fight bigger guys in a heavier weight class. But he doesn't talk about that anymore. Right now, all he wants is to win his middleweight belt back and clear the division.