The UFC middleweight champion spent Wednesday night on social media telling the world he might hand the belt back.
Sean Strickland, who is 31-7 and took the title off Khamzat Chimaev five months ago, posted on X that he is “kinda over it” unless something changes with his employer. Then he laid out the exit plan: “Contemplating just going to 205 knocking out my contract and scrapping with @jakepaul.”
Jake Paul answered within hours. “If you want your fair share call MVP when you are free,” he wrote, and asked whether Strickland is actually out of contract. Most Valuable Promotions merged with the PFL in July, so Paul is not just a YouTube payday anymore. He is a promoter with an MMA arm and a reason to want a sitting UFC champion’s phone number.
The Math Strickland Is Doing
His complaint was specific. He pointed at Conor McGregor, saying “McGregor makes 30 million to fight for 30 second and they dont want to pay us a fraction of it.” He pointed at Conor Benn, a boxer who reportedly signed a $15 million deal with Zuffa Boxing without ever winning a world title. He said Israel Adesanya and Chimaev, the two men he beat for this belt, both made considerably more than he did.
Whether those figures are exact is beside the point. Strickland is 35 years old, he owns the most valuable piece of real estate in the division, and he has concluded that the title is not what pays. That is an uncomfortable thing for the UFC to have said out loud by the guy holding the strap.
It also explains why his next fight does not exist yet. Strickland said in September that a defense against Nassourdine Imavov was close to done with the purse as the last obstacle. That bout was floated for UFC 335 and has now drifted toward 2027. Nothing has been announced.
What Is Not Known
A few things worth saying plainly. The UFC has not responded publicly. The terms and expiration of Strickland’s contract are not public, which is why Paul had to ask. And Strickland has not vacated anything. He said he is contemplating it, which is a different thing, and he has talked himself into and out of plenty of positions before.
He also has not asked for his release. The plan he described involves fighting out the deal at light heavyweight, which means more fights for the UFC on the way to the door, not fewer.
Why This One Lands Differently
Fighters complain about pay constantly. Champions rarely attach a timeline and a rival promoter’s name to the complaint, and almost never while a title defense sits unsigned on the table.
Strickland took the belt back at UFC 328 in May with a split decision over Chimaev at the Prudential Center in Newark, the first loss of Chimaev’s career. He first won it in September 2023 as a massive underdog against Adesanya. Twice now he has delivered the biggest upset on the card, and twice he has decided the reward did not match.
If the UFC lets this fester, the likeliest outcome is a champion moving up a weight class to run out a contract against opponents who do not matter to him. That is worse for the promotion than paying him.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.