Nassourdine Imavov leads trader consensus at 69% for Sean Strickland’s next middleweight title defense because the UFC has explicitly positioned the undefeated contender for the belt following his five-fight win streak that includes stoppages of Jared Cannonier and Israel Adesanya. Imavov’s July statements confirming the matchmaker’s directive, combined with longstanding bad blood from their 2023 short-notice bout, have solidified his status as the priority opponent for a December return. Khamzat Chimaev sits at 27.5% due to persistent rematch demands after his May split-decision loss at UFC 328 and vocal advocacy from his camp, though Strickland’s shoulder recovery timeline and the promotion’s apparent preference for fresh contenders temper immediate prospects. Dricus Du Plessis trails at just 2.3% amid his recent activity against Kamaru Usman and prior decision wins over Strickland that have cooled interest in a third meeting.