Du Plessis supports Strickland to top Imavov, setting the tone for a messy middleweight title timeline

With the UFC 335 main event already locked in, Dricus Du Plessis says he expects Sean Strickland to get the job done over Nassourdine Imavov in what could become a title rematch, even as the 185-pound picture remains unsettled heading into December.

By The Apex Times Newsroom3 min readAI-assisted Apex article

Dricus Du Plessis entered the UFC middleweight conversation with a clear endorsement: he expects Sean Strickland to beat Nassourdine Imavov in a fight that would keep the division’s title pathway moving toward a potential rematch scenario. Du Plessis made the prediction in the context of a still-developing title plan for the 185-pound championship, where the opponent pairing has become the story as much as the matchup itself.

According to the report, Du Plessis’s view of how the fight plays out is tied to his belief that Strickland can replicate what he already did before, referencing UFC Fight Night 217 from January 2023. The key point for fans is that Du Plessis is not only backing Strickland, he is framing it as the same kind of outcome pattern, suggesting a confidence level rooted in prior matchup history rather than just stylistic guesswork.

The timing, however, is where uncertainty lingers. The article notes that the UFC 335 main event is already set, while the middleweight title picture is still “up in the air.” That distinction matters because it indicates that, even with a major event on the calendar, the championship order is not fully cemented in the way fans typically prefer when a title defense date approaches.

Strickland had been expected to make what would be his first defense of the 185-pound title against Imavov at the UFC’s December 12 event. But the report says the fight has not been finalized, and it adds that Strickland appeared to hint that money and ongoing negotiations with the UFC were behind the delay. Those remarks, as described, do not resolve the situation on their own, but they do place the stalling into the same category as other late-stage pairing adjustments the sport has seen over the years.

For the title landscape, the most immediate implication is that the middleweight division may have to wait a bit longer to see how the champion’s next opponent locks in and what kind of chain reaction follows. If Strickland ultimately faces Imavov, the winner’s result could define whether the division proceeds with a cleaner challenger path or whether the sport returns to an overlap of familiar matchups and rematch logic.

Du Plessis’s involvement also underscores how top contenders shape public expectations in real time. Even if he is not the scheduled participant, his backing adds weight to the idea that the matchup is competitive and strategically significant. In a division where momentum can swing quickly, public confidence from a former champion or high-level contender often influences how fans and fighters perceive the likely outcome.

What to watch next is whether the December 12 booking for Strickland vs. Imavov is officially confirmed, and whether UFC 335’s main event context changes anything about the sequencing afterward. The middleweight title picture may still be unsettled, but the report makes it clear that, at least in Du Plessis’s view, the most likely path to a title-centered storyline goes through a Strickland win over Imavov.

Why It Matters

It keeps the middleweight championship pathway unclear heading into December, affecting how quickly challengers can plan their next steps.
A Strickland win over Imavov, if it becomes the confirmed pairing, would likely sharpen the division’s top-contender ordering.
The delay itself highlights how late-stage negotiations can shape title scheduling, even when major events are already locked.
Contenders like Du Plessis publicly shaping expectations can influence how the matchup is framed and discussed across the sport.

Sources

Key Facts

Dricus Du Plessis predicted Sean Strickland will beat Nassourdine Imavov in a potential middleweight title matchup/rematch context.
The report links Du Plessis’s confidence to the idea of Strickland replicating a similar outcome to what happened earlier during UFC Fight Night 217 in January 2023.
The UFC 335 main event is described as already set, but the middleweight title picture is described as still unsettled.
Strickland was previously expected to make his first 185-pound title defense against Imavov at the UFC’s December 12 event, but the fight had not been finalized at the time of the report.
The report says Strickland hinted the delay involved money and negotiations with the UFC.