Strickland Fight Plans Unsettled as Chimaev Offers $1 Million

Sean Strickland’s planned middleweight title defense against Nassourdine Imavov remains unconfirmed as he and the UFC negotiate pay, while former champion Khamzat Chimaev has publicly offered Strickland $1 million to fight him instead. Imavov has separately offered to put $500,000 of his own money on the line if Strickland beats him in a proposed January bout. Strickland said on September 27 that he and the UFC were discussing compensation and that the Imavov fight would be locked in once they settled that detail. The UFC has not announced an opponent or date for his next defense, and the available reports do not establish that either fighter’s personal offer has been accepted. Reports put the UFC’s proposed pay for a fight with Imavov at $400,000 to show and another $400,000 to win, while Strickland was reportedly seeking $1 million guaranteed. Those figures have not been confirmed in a contract or directly by the UFC or Strickland. The reported dispute is the stated obstacle to finalizing the matchup. Chimaev posted an offer to pay Strickland $1 million for a rematch. The offer followed Strickland’s win over Chimaev by split decision at UFC 328, according to reports.