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Ex-UFC champ suggests surprising name for Sean Strickland's first title defense
TL;DR
Sean Strickland's first title defense may not be against top contender Nassourdine Imavov, as former champion Michael Bisping suggests Joe Pyfer could be a more exciting option.
Key points
- Sean Strickland is the UFC middleweight champion.
- Michael Bisping suggests Joe Pyfer for Strickland's first title defense.
- Nassourdine Imavov is considered the rightful next contender.
- Bisping finds a fight with Pyfer more exciting.
- UFC 330 is set for August 15 in Philadelphia.
Sean StricklandMichael BispingNassourdine ImavovJoe Pyfer
Sean Strickland once again is the UFC middleweight champion, and this leaves the question: Who will his first title defense be against?
Michael Bisping, a former UFC champion at 185 pounds turned UFC commentator, has a suggestion outside who many find to be the obvious choice – top contender Nassourdine Imavov. Bisping does believe Imavov is the most deserving guy, following Strickland's big upset win over Khamzat Chimaev this past Saturday at UFC 328, but he likes the sound of a matchup against Joe Pyfer.
"If you go with meritocracy, it should be Nassourdine Imavov, but you never know. Maybe they go with Joe Pyfer," Bisping said on his YouTube channel.
Bisping finds Pyfer to be a more exciting fight, and thinks it makes plenty of sense with the UFC scheduling a return to Philadelphia for UFC 330 on Aug. 15.
"I want to see a fun fight," Bisping explained. "Nassournien Imavov, he is the rightful next contender, but Joe Pyfer is a fight we haven't seen before. Joe Pyfer beating Israel Adesanya the way he did, being on a four-fight winning streak, and the one loss in the UFC being to Jack Hermansson, where he got tired, where he chased the knockout. It looks like he fixed those wrinkles. I wouldn't complain if the next fight is Sean Strickland vs. Joe Pyfer. Put it in Philadelphia. That's coming up soon. That's a very quick turnaround; I think that's September, but hey, stranger things have happened."
Pyfer, who fights out of Philadelphia, is currently on a four-fight winning streak. In his most recent outing back in March, Pyfer stopped former champ Israel Adesanya in impressive fashion. Bisping has been very impressed by what "Bodybagz" has been able to do in recent years.
"Joe Pyfer, as we know, destroyed Israel Adesanya in the second round, stopped him with punches in the second round," Bisping said. "And Sean Strickland vs. Joe Pyfer, I'm telling you, that isn't the fight that I immediately thought of, but when I looked at the rankings, it does kind of jump off the page a little bit. Joe Pyfer is doing big things, and he's got a very entertaining style, and I'm sure that everyone would love to see Sean Strickland vs. Joe Pyfer."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Michael Bisping wants new challenger for Strickland's first UFC title defense
Q&A
Who is Sean Strickland's likely opponent for his first title defense?
Michael Bisping suggests Joe Pyfer as a potential opponent, despite Nassourdine Imavov being the most deserving contender.
What did Michael Bisping say about Joe Pyfer's chances against Sean Strickland?
Bisping believes a matchup with Joe Pyfer would be more exciting and has merit due to Pyfer's recent performances.
When is UFC 330 scheduled to take place?
UFC 330 is scheduled for August 15 in Philadelphia.