Strickland threatens to vacate UFC middleweight title over fighter pay dispute

Sean Strickland has threatened to vacate the UFC middleweight title and fight out his contract unless the promotion addresses what he describes as a fundamental pay imbalance, with a potential crossover bout against Jake Paul emerging as his preferred exit route.

The 185-pound champion (31-7) made his frustration public in a post on X, citing Conor McGregor’s reported $30 million payday for a recent appearance that Strickland claimed lasted just 30 seconds. “I gotta be honest unless things change with the UFC Im kinda over it,” Strickland wrote. “McGregor makes 30 million to fight for 30 second and they dont 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.”

Strickland’s grievance is sharpened by his own earnings record. When a fan argued that his upset victories over Israel Adesanya and Khamzat Chimaev should command a premium, Strickland replied that he had been paid significantly less than either opponent in both of those fights.

His proposed path out of the UFC involves moving up to light heavyweight to clear his contractual obligations before pursuing the Paul fight as a financially motivated free-agent bout — a scenario that would also mean relinquishing the middleweight belt he won in dramatic fashion against Adesanya.

The timing complicates an already stalled title defence. Strickland said in September that a rematch with Nassourdine Imavov was close to being finalised, with his purse the last remaining obstacle in negotiations. That fight had been pencilled in for UFC 335 but, given the current standoff, is now expected to be pushed into next year at the earliest.

Whether the threat represents a genuine ultimatum or a public negotiating tactic remains unclear, but Strickland’s willingness to name a specific alternative — and to frame Jake Paul as a more lucrative employer than the world’s largest MMA organisation — adds credibility to the pressure he is applying.