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UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is contemplating quitting the sport after criticising the world’s flagship mixed martial arts company for failing to pay fighters enough to retire.
Strickland, 35, has put the promotion on blast this week after saying his “heart isn’t in MMA anymore”, suggesting a switch to boxing could be on the cards as he called out Jake Paul.
Strickland’s criticism stems from a pay dispute with the UFC, lamenting that Conor McGregor “makes 30 million [dollars] to fight for 30 second and they don’t want to pay us a fraction of it”, while also admitting his body is “wrecked” after 21 years of training and numerous injuries.
The American has now posted a video on Instagram further detailing his frustrations, saying that top fighters are forced to ruin their legacies to earn enough money rather than being able to walk away from the UFC on their own terms.
“Let me tell you something about the UFC – I’m going to say the quiet part out loud that nobody says. You watch these champions, they run the division and they take [a loss], and then they come back and they fight three or four times and get flatlined,” Strickland said.
“You’re like, ‘Dude, what happened to you?’ And you realise the UFC happened. They just don’t care anymore.
“They don’t pay you enough money to walk away. The UFC builds a legacy and they don’t pay you enough. So you have to come back and ruin your legacy. I don’t want to do that.”
Strickland, who dethroned Khamzat Chimaev to claim his second middleweight title in May, has suggested that he will “speed run” the rest of his UFC contract to cut ties with the company, with a money fight with Paul being something he’d be open to.
However, his priority simply seems to be a switch to boxing regardless of the opponent, saying the sport is “easier and way more fun”.
He said he might even try to fight immediately under the Zuffa Boxing banner – the promotion co-founded by UFC supremo Dana White – if he is given such leeway in his contract, hinting at a move up to 200lbs to fight undefeated cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia.
“I fought for the [UFC] title four times. I won it twice, beat out the boogeyman of the division. Hell, I fought half the division already, man. I want to box,” he said.
“I wanna go put a f***ing boxing title on my mantle. I deserve it. I will put hands on any boxer. If Jake Paul wants to give me a big old bag of money to fight him… I’m under contract, fine, I’ll go to Zuffa. I’ll go beat your cruiserweight champ, easy.”
He added: “ We’re trying to work that out, but if the UFC says, ‘Hey, we’re not gonna do that. We’re gonna make you fight,’ well, I’m gonna stick and move. You guys are gonna boo. Hell, I’ll f***ing boo with you while I’m doing it. Just stick and move, collect my check, and then move on.”
Responding to the call-out, Paul has opened the door to Strickland to fight under the MVP banner, which stages primarily boxing events but also held its first MMA card earlier this year, headlined by the returning Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano.
“If you want your fair share call MVP when you are free,” Paul wrote on X.
