Sean Strickland was reportedly healthy and available for UFC 335, but his middleweight title defense against Nassourdine Imavov did not make the final December card. With public talk centering on pay, Imavov has now offered $500,000 of his own money if Strickland beats him in a proposed January fight.
UFC 335 takes place December 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The UFC instead booked Charles Oliveira to defend the ceremonial BMF belt against Diego Lopes in the main event, with Alex Pereira facing Sergei Pavlovich at heavyweight in the co-main event. Oliveira vs. Lopes was announced during the UFC 332 broadcast, and Lopes is set to make his lightweight debut for the matchup.
Sean Strickland-UFC 335 talks stall as Nassourdine Imavov puts $500K on line
The absence of Strickland vs. Imavov drew attention because the middleweight title fight had been widely discussed for the year-end pay-per-view. Alex Behunin reported that Strickland was “available and ready to go” and had “zero injuries from the crash,” adding that the UFC went another way. That removes a recent accident from the apparent list of reasons for the fight not happening in December. Strickland was involved in a side-by-side rollover but was reported to have walked away without an injury that would prevent him competing.
The remaining issue appears to be financial, though neither the UFC nor Strickland has publicly detailed a signed offer or a final negotiation breakdown. Strickland had already said pay was the outstanding item in a prospective Imavov fight. He later replied “Bingo” to an online suggestion that he wanted more money for the contest, a response that has added fuel to the view that compensation kept the title bout off UFC 335. Imavov responded with an unusually direct proposal on X.
The French contender said he would put $500,000 of his own money on the line if Strickland beats him in January, then challenged the champion to accept. He also told the UFC to strip Strickland if the fight does not move forward, writing: “THIS is your champ? Come on STRIP HIM.” The proposal is a public offer from Imavov, not a UFC-approved bonus, contractual term, or announced bout agreement. Strickland has not publicly accepted it, and the UFC has not announced a date or venue for the rematch.
A report circulating online claimed Strickland sought $1 million for a January UFC 336 fight while being offered $400,000 to show and $400,000 to win. That figure has not been confirmed by Strickland, Imavov, or the promotion, so it should be treated as an unverified claim rather than established purse information. What is clear is that the UFC has not booked the 185-pound championship contest for its final numbered event of 2026.
Paulo Costa added his own criticism in a subsequently deleted post, saying the UFC looked short of direction and accusing Dana White of being distracted by boxing and his public feud with Eddie Hearn. Costa also argued that Alexander Volkov should be in line for a heavyweight title opportunity. His post reflects Costa’s view of the promotion’s current matchmaking rather than confirmation of why the Strickland-Imavov fight was left off UFC 335.
For now, UFC 335 has its two headline fights, while Strickland remains middleweight champion and Imavov waits for a signed title-shot announcement.
