UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Imavov

The UFC opened 2023 at the UFC Apex with a late main event change. Kelvin Gastelum was forced out during fight week due to a mouth injury, so Sean Strickland stepped in to face Nassourdine Imavov. The bout was shifted from Middleweight to a 205-pound main event. Strickland entered off a loss just a month earlier against Jared Cannonier, and was looking to make a quick statement on short notice, while Imavov came in after a no contest in his previous outing and was looking to reassert his momentum.