Nassourdine Imavov wants his title shot and is willing to track down champion Sean Strickland at the gym if needed.
Imavov (17-4) has been aggressively lobbying to get a title shot and rematch with Strickland (31-7) recently but Strickland appears to be at odds with the fight promotion over money. He tracked the champion down at the UFC PI and confronted him. Championship Rounds posted footage of the exchange on X.
Nassourdine Imavov just ran into Sean Strickland in Las Vegas and it got HEATED 😳
🗣️ Imavov: “What is your problem? You not sign the contract?”
🗣️ Strickland: “Say what?”
🗣️ Imavov: “Money? I have money, I give. Hey I’m here, where are you going?” pic.twitter.com/wVA0xuJchP
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 7, 2026
Prior to tracking Strickland down at the UFC PI, Imavov went to Strickland’s gym to confront the champion. “I’m here in your gym. Sign the contract. Do you need a pen? Or do you need balls,” he said in a video posted to social media.
Strickland responded to Imavov and the situation. “”Cringe… his training partner knows our schedule because he’s trained with us. But instead chose to go to the PI with the nicest underpaid staff and full security to get content,” Strickland wrote on X. “It was all fake content. If anything it’s just mildly uncomfortable. 4 guys with iPhones and security lol I just felt awkward.”
Nassourdine Imavov actually pulled up to Sean Strickland’s gym earlier today, but Sean wasn’t there, so Imavov headed to the UFC PI 😳
“I’m here in your gym. Sign the contract. Do you need a pen? Or do you need balls?” https://t.co/8GiEtaJNDD pic.twitter.com/1lQvcy6B8Z
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 8, 2026
Strickland and Imavov first fought at UFC Fight Night 217 in January 2023. “Tarzan” defeated the Russia via unanimous decision. He’s expected to be back in the octagon in December but on Wednesday revealed that he’s considering relinquishing the 185-pound championship, fighting out his UFC contract and transitioning over to boxing.