The UFC is reportedly planning Sean Strickland's first middleweight title defense of his second reign against Nassourdine Imavov for February 2027 in Florida. Orlando has now been named as the location, but none of this is official: the UFC has announced no fight, date or venue.
What is being reported
MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn said on his podcast The Bohnfire around October 27 that "it's going to be Imavov next." He added that he had heard it was "maybe even signed or close to signed for February for somewhere in Florida." Luke Thomas said he had "heard similar", according to Combat Sports UK.
On the night of November 1, an X account, @realkevink, posted that the UFC is headed to Orlando in February 2027 with Strickland vs. Imavov expected on the card, crediting the Brazilian outlet Ag. Fight. A second post, also crediting Ag. Fight, said the UFC is not going to Miami in 2027. AgentMMA wrote up the Orlando claim the same night and stressed that the matchup, date, venue and broadcast are not confirmed.
The Orlando location rests on the Ag. Fight report as relayed on X. We found no established outlet that names Orlando; the reports we read say only Florida. Some fan accounts are calling the event UFC 337. Sports Illustrated also described UFC 337 as the likely event, but that is unconfirmed too.
Why the fight fell through before
Strickland had been expected to headline UFC 335 in Las Vegas in December, but that plan collapsed amid a pay dispute with the UFC, according to Combat Sports UK, which says the dispute now appears resolved. Bohn said many of Strickland's comments about his pay are untrue and that multiple sources say he earns more than $1 million per fight, per Sports Illustrated.
A February card would likely come after UFC 336 in Toronto on January 30. Strickland has said he will never fight in Canada again.
The rematch
Strickland (31-7) took the title back from Khamzat Chimaev by decision at UFC 328 on May 9, 2026, and has not fought since. Our database lists him as champion and No. 7 in the men's pound-for-pound rankings.
Imavov (17-4, 1 NC) is ranked No. 3 at middleweight. He beat Israel Adesanya by second-round TKO in February 2025 and Caio Borralho by decision in September 2025.
The two have met before. Strickland beat Imavov by unanimous decision over five rounds at a UFC Fight Night on January 14, 2023, so this would be a rematch.
What comes next
Nothing is confirmed until the UFC announces it. The promotion has not commented on the reports, and neither fighter had directly responded to Bohn's report when Sports Illustrated published its story.
One further claim circulating on X, that Jorge Masvidal would return in Orlando against Mike Perry, comes from a single unsourced reply and is not reported anywhere else. Treat it as unverified.
Sources
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