**Sean Strickland’s middleweight title defense remains unbooked amid pay negotiations, positioning Nassourdine Imavov as the clear frontrunner for the next bout.** Imavov sits on a five-fight win streak featuring victories over Israel Adesanya and Caio Borralho, and the two previously met in 2023 with Strickland taking a unanimous decision. Public talks between the champion and Imavov have centered on purse details for a potential December or 2027 date, with Imavov recently confronting Strickland at the UFC Performance Institute to push the matchup forward. Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev trail in trader consensus after du Plessis’s prior wins over Strickland and Chimaev’s split-decision loss to the champion at UFC 328 in May; both have expressed interest in rematches, but recent developments point to Imavov as the division’s top contender while Strickland weighs his options under a new multi-fight contract.