Outside Source
Imavov (17-4) was scheduled to fight Kelvin Gastelum in 2023. However, Strickland replaced an injured Gastelum on five days’ notice. Strickland (29-7) went on to score a unanimous decision win over Imavov.
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Strickland is now scheduled to headline UFC Houston against Anthony Hernandez (15-2) on Saturday. The UFC recently posted highlights of Strickland’s win over Imavov, praising the former champion’s forward pressure. Imavov was quick to react, claiming he would have “crushed” Strickland under normal circumstances. Since Imavov didn’t make any excuses for the loss, he probably means the short-notice change of opponent.
A Confident Assertion
“Make no mistakes, under normal conditions, I’ll crush this guy! Mark my words,” Imavov wrote.
Strickland went on to become the middleweight champion with a huge upset win over Israel Adesanya, just one fight removed from his win over Imavov. Strickland lost the title against Dricus Du Plessis, rebounded with a win over Paulo Costa, and failed to reclaim the title against Du Plessis in a rematch.
Meanwhile, Imavov is undefeated in six straight outings since his loss against Strickland. With wins over Roman Dolidze, Jared Cannonier, Brendan Allen, Adesanya and Caio Borralho, Imavov is widely considered the frontrunner for the next middleweight title shot against Khamzat Chimaev, who dethroned Du Plessis last year.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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