Strickland jokes about leaving UFC after Jake Paul lands Forbes top-earners list

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland responded to Jake Paul’s appearance on Forbes’ 2026 highest-paid athletes list by joking he should tear up his UFC contract and pursue a fight with the boxer, telling interviewer Nina Marie-Daniele that even a fraction of Paul’s reported $70 million annual earnings would exceed his current UFC pay.

“I gotta leave the UFC and go beat up Jake Paul. That’s it,” Strickland said. “Leave my contract with the UFC. It’s time for me to leave. If I made even a fraction of that I would be making more than the UFC is paying me. I would beat the s—t out of Jake Paul.”

Paul ranked 23rd on the Forbes list, making him one of only two combat sports athletes to feature. Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez took second place overall with $170 million in earnings. Conor McGregor remains the only MMA fighter to have previously appeared on the list — first following his 2017 boxing match against Floyd Mayweather, and later after selling a majority stake in his Proper No. 12 whiskey brand.

Paul, 29, built his combat sports profile by fighting fellow social media personalities before transitioning to bouts against MMA fighters. He has since stepped up in competition, facing boxers including Mike Tyson and Julio César Chávez Jr. His most recent outing proved his sternest test to date: former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua stopped him in the sixth round.

Strickland’s comments were made in jest, but they reflect a broader conversation within MMA about fighter pay relative to the earnings available in high-profile boxing crossover events. The UFC middleweight champion made no formal indication he intends to leave the promotion.