Dricus Du Plessis has broken down the projected next UFC middleweight title fight.
Champion Sean Strickland (31-7 MMA, 18-7 UFC) is expected to rematch Nassourdine Imavov (17-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) for his first title defense. Imavov is on a five-fight winning streak since losing to Strickland in a short-notice light heavyweight bout in January 2023.
Du Plessis (24-3 MMA, 10-1 UFC) is concerned with the fact that Imavov hasn't competed since outstriking Caio Borralho at UFC Fight Night 258 last September. While he sees growth in Imavov's game, Du Plessis says not in the areas needed to beat Strickland.
"Imavov, he took a long time off," Du Plessis said on Fight Forecast. "He's been out for quite a while. Obviously deserving of the next title shot, he was
on a streak. But if you look at their first fight, I just don't think there was a lot of changes in Imavov's game other than he spent time on the ground defending takedowns. He did a great job at that, but that's not going to be Strickland's game plan, and I don't see in his striking a lot of change, and I definitely don't see striking changes in Strickland's game. So, I honestly believe we're going to look at the same result as the first one. I think Strickland walks forward.
"Imavov has the style of kind of hitting and running, hitting, and running, and he does a great job at that. He doesn't get into a firefight. But Strickland, if he goes forward, that pressure is just always going to – you can't let that guy go forward. Imavov's style is very similar to (Israel) Adesanya's style, and Strickland has proven that he has the antidote to that style. Pressuring, pressuring, and his defense is so good. So, even if he goes forward, he doesn't get clipped with those shots because he keeps it safe, because he prioritizes the defense. So I honestly believe we're going to hear 'and still.'"
Former UFC middleweight champion Du Plessis beat Strickland twice in title fights before losing his belt to Khamzat Chimaev. He has since rebounded with an impressive win over former ex-UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman in July.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dricus Du Plessis: Nassourdine Imavov hasn't evolved enough to beat Sean Strickland
