Sean Strickland has been locked in a tense financial dispute with the UFC for the past few weeks, and it looked like his first middleweight title defense against Nassourdine Imavov might not happen anytime soon. The champion had even threatened to walk away from the promotion if the situation wasn’t resolved. But now, there appears to be somewhat of a good news coming from that front.

According to a recent report, Strickland is expected to defend his middleweight title against Imavov in February 2027, with the UFC potentially staging the fight in Florida. During a recent episode of the Bohn Fire Podcast, MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn told veteran journalist Luke Thomas that negotiations for Strickland’s next fight against Imavov were nearly complete.

“It’s going to be Imavov next,” Bohn said. “I’ve heard it’s maybe even signed or close to signed for February for somewhere in Florida, so I think this fight is happening.”

Thomas appeared to share that confidence, confirming that he had “heard similar” reports about the middleweight champion returning in February next year.

Neither the UFC nor the fighters have officially announced the matchup. Still, hearing similar reports from both Bohn and Thomas suggests that the negotiations may be close to a resolution.

The UFC has announced three events for 2027 so far, with Quillan Salkilld vs. Benoit Saint-Denis scheduled to headline a Fight Night in Sydney on February 6 (February 7 in Australia). However, no event has been announced for Miami that month.

That doesn’t necessarily rule out a Florida card in February.

The promotion could still schedule an event for the second half of the month, even though it has generally visited Florida in April in recent years. UFC 327 this year and UFC 314 last year, for example, both took place at Miami’s Kaseya Center in April. If Bohn’s report proves accurate, the promotion could be moving its Florida stop up the calendar this time around.

For now, the fight remains unconfirmed. But the latest update offers a reason for optimism after weeks of uncertainty surrounding Strickland’s next title defense.

Earlier this month, Strickland made his frustration with the UFC public, posting a series of rants on X about his compensation. The middleweight champion claimed that the promotion wasn’t willing to pay him even a “fraction” of what it had reportedly paid Conor McGregor to fight Max Holloway at UFC 329, with the Irishman reportedly earning $30 million.

Strickland hasn’t disclosed the exact amount the UFC offered him for his first title defense. However, reports suggested that the proposed deal was worth $400,000 to show and another $400,000 to win, potentially bringing his payout to $800,000 if he got the win.

The dispute had already affected the UFC’s plans for the champion. Reports indicated that the promotion had targeted a Strickland vs. Imavov headliner for UFC 335 in December. But negotiations went sideways, and the matchup fell through, allowing Charles Oliveira vs. Diego Lopes to take the headlining spot instead.

Strickland was clearly unhappy with how things were unfolding and even threatened to leave the promotion.

In a video posted on Instagram, the champion went a step further, suggesting that he could vacate his middleweight title, move up to light heavyweight to speed-run the remainder of his UFC contract, and then pursue a lucrative boxing match against Jake Paul.

Plus, the Nevada-based fighter also criticized the UFC for allegedly failing to pay its veterans enough to retire comfortably. According to Strickland, fighters who haven’t earned enough during their careers are left with little choice but to keep competing and risk further brain damage.

The public dispute eventually drew a response from UFC CEO Dana White. At the Contender Series Week 10 post-fight press conference, reporters asked him about Strickland’s complaints and the reported figures surrounding the proposed title fight.

White revealed that Strickland had signed a brand-new contract in May, shortly before his fight title against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328. He also dismissed Strickland’s claims about his earnings as “not true.”

White didn’t disclose the exact terms of Strickland’s new deal, leaving the details of the financial dispute unclear. However, reports suggested that the champion had earned around $1 million for challenging Chimaev for the title, indicating that his compensation for that fight may have been higher than the reported figures for his proposed defense against Imavov.

For now, Strickland’s public standoff with the UFC appears to have taken a backseat, at least with the latest reports suggesting that his next fight could be nearing completion. But the financial dispute isn’t the only thing adding tension to the matchup. The champion and Imavov have also had a heated confrontation that has made their potential title fight considerably more personal.

Sean Strickland and Nassourdine Imavov got into a scuffle at UFC PI

The pay dispute had a trickle-down effect on Imavov, who grew increasingly frustrated with the delay in securing his title shot. At one point, the Russian-French middleweight even offered Strickland $500,000 of his own money to fight him.

Nassourdine Imavov then took matters into his own hands, heading to Strickland’s gym at Xtreme Couture and posting footage of his visit on social media. However, his attempt to confront the champion initially came up short, as Strickland wasn’t there.

That wasn’t the end of it, though. In a second clip, Imavov traveled to the UFC Performance Institute, where he finally came face-to-face with his rival.

What followed was a tense scene involving both middleweights, their teammates, and security personnel. Imavov wasted little time confronting Strickland about the contract that had kept their matchup from moving forward.

“You not sign the contract? What is the problem? Money?” Imavov stated. “I have money… I give (you). Strickland!”

He pressed the champion again, asking, “What is the problem? You not sign the contract?”

Strickland, however, appeared uninterested in getting into a verbal exchange, responding with little more than a confused, “Say what?”

The clip then showed the middleweight champion leaving the UFC PI with his entourage and what appeared to be security personnel. Imavov wasn’t ready to let the confrontation end there, though, and followed Strickland outside, continuing to taunt him.

“The problem is he talks s–t every time, social media,” Imavov told a person who appeared to be part of UFC PI security. “I’m here now… he’s going. He is a p—y, bro!

He then shouted after Strickland, “Where are you going? I’m here! Where are you going? What you gonna do now?”

Someone from Strickland’s team attempted to calm things down, but the situation escalated again, with the footage showing Imavov charging toward the champion’s team before the clip abruptly ended.

Strickland later addressed the incident on social media, dismissing it as “cringe” and “fake.”

“Cringe… his training partner knows our schedule because he’s trained with us. But instead chose to go to the PI with the nicest underpaid staff and full security to get content,” Strickland wrote on X. “It was all fake content. If anything, it’s just mildly uncomfortable. 4 guys with iPhones and security lol I just felt awkward.”

The confrontation added another layer to an already contentious matchup. Imavov wants his title opportunity, while Strickland has made it clear that he isn’t willing to accept terms he considers unfair. Now, with reports suggesting their fight could finally be close to being agreed for February 2027, there may be a path forward for both men.

Still, the UFC has yet to make anything official. Whether the promotion can finalize the deal and bring the two middleweights together in Florida remains to be seen.