Dricus du Plessis expects Sean Strickland to beat Nassourdine Imavov again.
The former middleweight champion broke down a likely title rematch on Fight Forecast. Du Plessis has two wins over Strickland, but Strickland now holds the belt. He upset Khamzat Chimaev by split decision at UFC 328 in May, after Chimaev had taken the title from du Plessis.
Du Plessis said Strickland is far harder to control than he looks.
He’s always been a great wrestler. I took him down, I think seven times, but to hold him down is very, very hard, and that was going to be the question, especially for the Khamzat fight, which he answered.
He is hard to hold down. He is very fit. He can always go five rounds. And he’s so good at dragging people into his style.
He said Chimaev faded once his takedowns stopped landing.
When he started stopping Khamzat’s takedowns, Khamzat got tired, and he got forced to fight Strickland’s fight. And Strickland wins that every single time.
Strickland vs. Imavov had been expected to headline UFC 335 on Dec. 12 in Las Vegas. After pay talks with Strickland stalled, the UFC instead booked Charles Oliveira vs. Diego Lopes for the BMF title as the main event. The rematch has not been booked.
Strickland won their first meeting by unanimous decision in January 2023, a short-notice fight at 205 pounds. Imavov has since won five straight, including a TKO of Israel Adesanya. His last fight was a decision over Caio Borralho in September 2025.
Du Plessis called Imavov deserving but does not see much change in his game.
Imavov took a long time off. He’s been out for quite a while. Obviously, deserving of the next title shot, he’s on a streak, but if you look at their first fight, I just don’t think there was a lot of changes in Imavov’s game.
He pointed to Strickland’s 2023 win over Adesanya as proof.
Imavov’s style is very similar to Adesanya’s style, and Strickland has proven that he has the antidote to that style, by pressuring, pressuring.
So I honestly believe we’re going to hear, ‘And Still!'
