Sean Strickland Reveals Why He Isn’t Headlining UFC 335 Against Nassourdine Imavov

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During the recent UFC 333 broadcast, the headliners for UFC 335 were officially announced. Charles Oliveira will defend his BMF title against Diego Lopes, who is moving up to lightweight for the fight. Meanwhile, Alex Pereira will take on another top contender, Sergei Pavlovich, in a five-round heavyweight co-main event.

While both fights are certified bangers, there were previously rumors that the December 12 card could feature Sean Strickland making his first middleweight title defense against Nassourdine Imavov. However, that never came together.

It is now being reported that Strickland was healthy and available to headline UFC 335, but negotiations broke down late, forcing the UFC to go in a different direction with Oliveira vs. Lopes. MMA Mania veteran reporter Alex Behunin revealed on X, “Sean Strickland was available and ready to go for UFC 335. He had zero injuries from the crash — the UFC went in a different direction, per sources.”

Now, Strickland himself has seemingly hinted at why he won’t be fighting on the final numbered UFC card of 2026 after a funny interaction with a fan on social media.

Sean Strickland Hints Money Played a Major Role in His UFC 335 Absence

One potential reason for Strickland missing the card was his ATV rollover accident last month. The UFC middleweight champion was reportedly driving at 60 MPH without a helmet when the accident happened. However, Strickland was back to sparring the very next day and only showed some minor bruising on his head and arms.

But it appears the real reason could have more to do with money. Social media content creator Ruben Carter posted a photo of Strickland on his Instagram and claimed that the champion was forced out of the December 12 card in Las Vegas because of “injuries” from the accident.

The post read as follows: “Sean Strickland has pulled out of his fight against Nassourdine Imavov at #UFC335 T-Mobile Arena due to injuries he sustained during a car crash last month. Charles Oliveira vs. Diego Lopes for the BMF title will now be promoted to main event.”

However, one fan in the comments by the username @khan.king316619, suggested that Strickland was actually asking the UFC for more money and that this was the reason he wasn’t defending his title at UFC 335. Surprisingly, “Tarzan” appeared to confirm the claim himself. Responding to the fan, Strickland simply wrote, “bingo lol.”

 

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While Strickland didn’t elaborate on the situation, he had already revealed that he was negotiating with the UFC. At the end of last month, Strickland responded on X to a fan who asked, “Is it true you’re fighting Imavov Sean?” The reigning 185-pound champion replied, “We’re discussing pay now. Once that detail is squared, it’s locked in. The issue is no one cares about the fake Frenchman. We’re almost there.”

 

Strickland undoubtedly landed the biggest paycheck of his career when he beat Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328. Imavov may not carry the same star power as Chimaev, but it seems the former champion isn’t willing to accept a lower payday after the massive upset he pulled off in May 2026.