Nassourdine
Imavov vows to knock out Sean
Strickland in a potential rematch.
Strickland scored a massive upset win over Anthony
Hernandez via a third-round knockout at
UFC Houston last weekend. Imavov has since been calling for a
chance to avenge his previous loss against Strickland.
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Strickland replaced an injured Kelvin
Gastelum against Imavov in 2023. The fight took place at light
heavyweight as Strickland came in on five days’ notice. Strickland
defeated Imavov via an emphatic unanimous decision.
However, Imavov claims the fight would have played out differently
under “normal conditions.” While Imavov is calling for a rematch
against Strickland, the former champ is eyeing a title shot against
Khamzat
Chimaev. Imavov accuses Strickland of ducking him. “The Sniper”
believes Strickland is scared of a brutal beatdown against him, but
doesn’t mind being choked out by Chimaev.
‘He’ll End Up Unconscious’
“Of course he’s ducking,” Imavov told Championship Rounds.”He’s
ready to get choked [by Khamzat], that’s not painful… He’s not
ready to get destroyed and end up with a bloodied face. I’ve been
asking for him to the UFC for two years now, even after KO-ing
Adesanya. Everything will be different [in the rematch]. In the
right weight class, with a proper camp for facing him, he’ll end up
unconscious.”
Strickland (30-7) is now 2-2 in his last four, with the losses
coming in two title fights against Dricus Du
Plessis. Meanwhile, Imavov (17-4) is riding a five-fight
winning streak against elite competition.
Nassourdine
Imavov says Sean
Strickland is ducking a rematch with him 😳„Of course he’s ducking. He’s ready to get choked [by Khamzat],
that’s not painful… He’s not ready to get destroyed and end up
with a bloodied face. I’ve been asking for him to the UFC for two
years now,… pic.twitter.com/r61ia81hdG— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS)
February 23, 2026