Nassourdine Imavov has a counteroffer for Sean Strickland, and it comes out of his own pocket.
“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,” Imavov wrote on X Sunday night. He added: “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”
Imavov was quoting a post from the X account @Erntastedfresh, which claimed Strickland is asking for $1 million to fight Imavov on January 16 at UFC 336 while the UFC is offering $400,000 to show and $400,000 to win. Neither Strickland nor the UFC has confirmed those numbers in the material available, so treat the figures as reported, not settled. MMA Sucka also reported that Strickland wants $1 million for the January card.
View post on X
The math is simple. If the reported offer is accurate, a win gets Strickland $800,000. Add Imavov’s $500,000 side bet and he’d clear $1.3 million, which is more than he’s asking for. Imavov has effectively priced him out of his own excuse.
This didn’t start Sunday. The fight was expected by some to land on UFC 335 in December, and when it wasn’t announced, Imavov posted “Playing tough 😂” on Saturday. MMA account @DovySimuMMA posted the same day that Strickland wasn’t on the December card because he wants more money. That claim also hasn’t been confirmed by Strickland or the promotion.
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Strickland, 31-7 and fighting out of Xtreme Couture, is the two-time UFC middleweight champion and sits No. 1 at 185 in Knockout Daily’s rankings. He was No. 7 in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings as of June 16. His last fight was May 9, so a January date would mean roughly eight months between appearances.
The pile-on isn’t limited to Imavov. Khamzat Chimaev told Strickland to “send location,” MMA Fighting posted Monday.
For what it’s worth, I like a fighter who negotiates out loud. Strickland has never been shy about saying what he thinks he’s worth, and a champion asking for a raise is about the least scandalous thing he’s done. Imavov calling for the UFC to strip him over a pay dispute is a stretch, and nobody should expect it to happen.
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What matters now is whether the UFC moves off $800,000 or Strickland moves off $1 million before UFC 336 on January 16. Imavov’s money is on the table. Whether anyone at the UFC actually holds him to it is another matter.
