Sean Strickland’s UFC future at risk amid escalating pay dispute
· Yahoo Sports
One of the UFC’s biggest stars should have a fight coming up soon, but he’s made headlines over his frustration with the UFC.
Middleweight champion Sean Strickland is well known for his outspoken nature and blunt personality. Strickland seems to be gearing up for his next title defense against No. 1 contender Nassourdine Imavov.
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Strickland confirmed his next bout against Imavov on social media recently, saying the opponent is locked in, but the pay isn’t yet.
The quote stems from Strickland answering a question about whether Imavov is next; his response is as follows.
“We’re discussing pay now. Once that detail is squared, it’s locked in. The issue is no one cares about the fake Frenchman. We’re almost there”
That quote was on September 27th, and it seems the “discussing pay now” part of the negotiations isn’t going well at all.
Sean Strickland contemplating vacating the middleweight title
Feb 21, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Sean Strickland speaks after UFC Fight Night at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)Out of nowhere, Strickland comes out on X and voices his frustrations with the UFC. He’s clearly upset about how other fighters are paid compared to him.
Because of his pay dispute with the UFC, Strickland even brought up vacating his title and moving up a weight class to finish his contract.
“I gotta be honest: unless things change with the UFC I’m kinda over it. McGregor makes 30 million to fight for 30 second and they don’t want to pay us a fraction of it. Contemplating just going to 205 knocking out my contract and scrapping with Jake Paul. That sounds fun.”
That’s a serious shift in tone from just working out the pay. Strickland seems angry at the UFC right now. The complaints didn’t stop there either, though; Strickland elaborated on how he feels it’s clear he’ll make more money outside of the UFC.
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“It’s just hard McGregor 30 million. Some lame boxer 15 million. The thought of just giving up my belt going to 205 and speed running my contract to fight Jake (Paul) and make what these guys are making sounds pretty damn appealing.”
The UFC isn’t letting Strickland walk without finishing his contract. Even so, it’s clear that the two sides aren’t on the same page.
Former UFC champions’ success outside the UFC
Mar 10, 2026; Inglewood, California, United States; Francis Ngannou during a MMA press conference at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)To be fair, Strickland isn’t wrong to say he can make more money doing silly boxing matches.
Take Tyron Woodley, for example; the former UFC welterweight champion won five title fights. He was cut after losing multiple fights in a row, including his title loss to Kamaru Usman.
Woodley’s first fights outside the UFC were against Jake Paul, and he claimed to have made more money against Paul than in his UFC career.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou certainly made more money outside of the UFC. Boxing fights against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have essentially set Francis up for life, making tens of millions in those bouts.
Naturally, Strickland will see those former UFC champs have great financial success and want to see those types of checks.
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