Sean Strickland is the UFC’s headliner of the week after his public messages revealed his dissatisfaction with life as middleweight champion. Strickland has told us how much his salary is crap and that his the heart just isn’t in MMA anymore. He has also told us that he would rather switch to boxing play around with Jake Paul.
While Strickland ponders his future in the sport, Nassourdine Imavov has been seething on the sidelines. Imavov is the undisputed number one in the division, but a fight with Strickland has seemed depressingly far-fetched for the Frenchman.
That frustration boiled over this week when Imavov and some flunkies lurked at Strickland’s UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas. Imavov asked Strickland why he hadn’t signed the match contract and also offered him money to fight him. Strickland shrugged as he headed out the door.
Later on Instagram, Strickland called the whole thing “cringe‘.
You know who didn’t think it was creepy? Daniel Cormier.
Cormier praised Imavov’s approach on his YouTube channel.
“UFC PI is a great tool for UFC athletes,” said Cormier. “The UFC PI is also a danger zone for certain athletes, or most athletes to be honest, because the possibility of meeting someone you’re going to fight is almost every day.”
Cormier then said he chose not to train at PI because he didn’t want to get into confrontations like this one. Of the confrontation, though, Cormier thought Imavov not only did the right thing, but what he did needed what to do to reach your title.
“Nassourdine Imavov needs Sean Strickland,” he said. “And not just for the championship. Nassourdine Imavov needs Sean Strickland because to be champion you need someone to beat you to really legitimize you and help your star appeal. A win over Sean Strickland would do that for Imavov.”
Cormier also said Imavov’s move could give him the upper hand in the court of public opinion.
“So Sean almost walking away and not throwing fuel on that fire that seems to be growing is actually smart because he’s not selling him,” Cormier said. “But to the general public, to the fans, to the general public, it seems like Strickland is almost avoiding the fight.”
“I know Sean Strickland is not afraid of anybody,” Cormier clarified. “But to the general public, when they see that video and they see Strickland walk away, they’re going to interpret that he doesn’t want to fight Nassourdine Imavov. I’m telling you the minute you step into the Octagon with Khamzat Chimaev, you’re going to fight everybody.”
Cormier continued to praise Imavov’s move to get the headlines (which apparently worked) and also related it to what Strickland had done before.
“I also run somebody who says to them, ‘Do you think this is going to help you?’ … Guess what? It is,” Cormier claimed. “It actually helps. The reason Sean Strickland got a title shot after beating Fluffy Hernandez in Houston is because he attacked the champion. He went straight to Khamzat Chimaev, said disparaging things about him. Talked about his religion, his personality, everything to get everyone to pay attention. … That’s what Imavov is doing. He was only following Seanland’s game plan. To make him champion.”
It is a stretch to say that Imavov was deliberately echoing Strickland at this point. Instead, Imavov did what we’ve seen fighters do for years when they want to win a fight or gain a psychological advantage over their opponent.
DC should also perhaps be reminded how Strickland and Chimaev hugged each other after their fight at UFC 328 in May and pretty much admitted that their entire conversation was just to make and sell a fight.
In addition to talking about the PI incident, Cormier touched on Strickland’s concerns about fighter pay. The former champion turned insider handled the situation gently, while making it clear that he would hate to see a great fighter and popular personality like Strickland leave his organization.
Cormier went on to say that the match between Strickland and Imavov, a rematch of the fight Strickland won three years ago, is suddenly more exciting — for him, anyway.
Cormier is right that this case has created some buzz around Imavov. And this might be the first time he’s been around. Whether that means he gets to fight Strickland, however, seems pretty far out of his hands.
