While Sean Strickland recaptured his middleweight throne after beating Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328 in a razor-thin split decision, the Chechen is not ready to call it quits just yet. From the very next day, Chimaev has been pushing the UFC for a rematch. However, an air of uncertainty currently looms over the possibility of a rematch. And that has to do with the emergence of a new title contender.

Amid the uncertainty over the rematch, the No.3-ranked Nassourdine Imavov took to social media and tagged UFC top brass, essentially reminding them of the promise that was supposedly made to him.

“Plenty of talk around the championship fight lately,” Imavov remarked on X. “I believe everyone will stand on what they said #hunter @Mickmaynard2 #nohappyending @SStricklandMMA.”

Though nobody from the UFC brass has officially confirmed that Nassourdine Imavov is next in line for the title, him directly tagging the UFC matchmakers, Hunter Campbell and Mick Maynard, publicly on social media strongly implies that some level of talks might have already taken place behind the scenes about him facing the champion next.

That said, it’s not just the ongoing discussions that make the Russian-French contender a legitimate option. Imavov has also done enough inside the Octagon to cement himself as Strickland’s potential next challenge.

The Russian-French star is currently ranked #3 in the division, and riding a 5-fight winning streak that includes names like legend Israel Adesanya and top contender Caio Borralho. In fact, many felt Imavov would’ve eventually faced Khamzat Chimaev for the title, but after Strickland’s upset of the Chechen, Imavov appears the next likely challenger.

As such, ‘The Sniper’ remains firmly in title contention despite having once lost a decision to Sean Strickland in January 2023. But if the UFC decides to go that route, Khamzat Chimaev is sure to be one angry customer.

‘Borz’ went through a grueling weight cut that seemingly affected his performance against Strickland in Newark. For that reason, the former champ and his team are actively pushing for a rematch. However, Dana White didn’t appear completely sold on the idea.

“Khamzat right now is asking for the rematch with Strickland,” White said on The Bret Boone Podcast. “That’s what he wants. We don’t know what we’re going to do yet. Strickland will fight anybody.”

Though the UFC CEO hasn’t completely denied the possibility, he also didn’t explicitly say that Chimaev would get his rematch against Strickland. Well, there could be several reasons behind that, but it’s possible that White doesn’t want the Chechen to go through another brutal weight cut and instead prefers him to move up to light heavyweight.

Beyond that, ‘Tarzan’ recently stated that he believes in ranking integrity and that Chimaev would need to win a few fights before facing him again. With that in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a rematch between Strickland and Imavov instead.

So, it would certainly be interesting to see how Imavov matches up against him at middleweight since their previous bout occurred at light heavyweight.

Now, as Imavov emerges as a potential challenger for Strickland, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that a title shot isn’t guaranteed to him, or for anyone, for that matter, especially after two former champions have also reportedly entered the race to face the reigning middleweight champ.

Dricus du Plessis or Kamaru Usman could face Sean Strickland next

While Strickland and Chimaev battled for the 185-pound strap in New Jersey, another potential middleweight matchup stormed through the MMA community. A social media account named Fight Grid posted on Instagram that Dricus du Plessis will return to action soon, and his opponent will be none other than former middleweight champion Kamaru Usman.

For some time, the news felt like a floating rumor until the South African former champ’s gym, CIT Performance Institute, reposted the update on their Instagram story. Soon after, the date and venue of their potential clash also started making rounds online. According to an account named West Till Death on X, both fighters are set for a middleweight showdown in Oklahoma City on July 18th.

“Dricus Du Plessis vs. Kamaru Usman is reportedly in the works for #UFC Oklahoma City on July 18th,” WestTillDeath shared.

To be fair, both fighters are among the UFC’s premier superstars, with Kamaru Usman widely considered one of the welterweight GOATs. So, it’s possible that the UFC could give the winner of this potential fight a chance to face Sean Strickland. However, it’s worth noting that the reigning middleweight champ has already lost twice to Du Plessis and once to Usman in a welterweight clash in 2017. In that case, either matchup would once again result in a rematch for him.

With that string of possible rematches, anything could happen regarding Sean Strickland’s next move. However, Nassourdine Imavov still appears to be the frontrunner for it, especially considering the impressive winning streak he’s currently riding in the middleweight division.