Nassourdine Imavov admits he didn’t expect Sean Strickland to defeat Khamzat Chimaev: “I will shut him down”

Nassourdine Imavov didn’t expect Sean Strickland to pull off the upset over Khamzat Chimaev.

Strickland entered the Prudential Center in Newark this past Saturday in hopes of becoming a two-time UFC Middleweight Champion. He achieved his goal thanks to his solid takedown defense and relentless pace in the standup. While Chimaev also kept up with Strickland throughout the fight, two of the three judges saw the fight in favor of the challenger. Strickland captured the 185-pound gold via split decision.

After the fight, Imavov admitted that he didn’t see the result coming. He then delivered a warning to the newly minted middleweight king (via MMAJunkie).

“I was very surprised,” Imavov said. “I wasn’t expecting that. I don’t know what happened with Khamzat, but he looked different. But anyway, Strickland won. I will shut him down.”

During the UFC 328 post-fight show on Paramount+, Strickland said he has no problem putting his gold at stake against Imavov.

“I truly believe in UFC rankings,” he added. “I think they [expletive] matter. I hate when guys jump it. So if that’s who the UFC [wants], if that’s the rankings, that’s who it is. Let’s go.”

Strickland did note that he wants to take time off to heal following a bloody five-round affair with Chimaev. Strickland suffered a busted nose during the fight, and he revealed that he separated his shoulder four days prior to turning in another vintage performance.

Many felt that Imavov was the most deserving contender prior to Strickland’s second-round TKO finish over Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston back in February. Strickland’s war of words with Chimaev led to their title fight being booked for Newark.

Do you think Nassourdine Imavov will ultimately be the next UFC middleweight title challenger, or will someone else jump the line? Share your thoughts in the comments below.