Sean Strickland has renewed his criticism of UFC fighter pay, saying champions are not paid enough to retire on their own terms and that he would rather pursue boxing than continue in mixed martial arts. The UFC middleweight champion said his immediate preference was to arrange a boxing contest, but no bout, release from his UFC deal or retirement has been confirmed.
Strickland’s comments followed an earlier complaint this week in which he said his heart was no longer in MMA after groin and shoulder injuries. In a subsequent social-media video, the 35-year-old argued that prominent fighters can return after defeats because they need the money, rather than because they want to add further fights to their careers.
He said he believed that pattern could damage athletes’ legacies. His remarks were his assessment of the promotion’s pay structure, rather than evidence of the finances or decisions of individual fighters.
Strickland wants boxing route considered
Strickland said he still wanted to compete but described boxing as a more attractive option because, in his view, it offered easier work and greater financial reward. He called for a fight with Jake Paul and said he wanted to win a boxing title, while also suggesting he could compete in Zuffa Boxing if an opportunity were agreed.
However, his public interest does not amount to a confirmed change of sport. The BBC reported that UFC fighters cannot compete for other major promotions while contracted to the UFC, a restriction Strickland has criticised. Neither report supplied terms of his contract, an expiry date, an agreed opponent or confirmation that the UFC will permit him to box.
Strickland also said that, if the UFC required him to take another MMA bout without accommodating his boxing ambitions, he could use a low-risk, movement-based approach merely to collect his purse. That was a threat about how he might approach a future contest, not an announcement of a booked fight or a guarantee of what he will do.
MMA Fighting reported that Strickland has been dealing with injuries in recent months, while possible rematches with Khamzat Chimaev and Nassourdine Imavov have been discussed. The report did not establish that either contest has been finalised.
Pay debate has a wider financial comparison
The BBC placed Strickland’s argument alongside a reported £11m one-fight agreement signed by Conor Benn with Zuffa Boxing. It said the deal had intensified scrutiny of the difference between earnings in boxing and MMA, particularly because Zuffa Boxing is owned by UFC president Dana White.
According to the BBC, the UFC allocates about 20% of its revenue to fighter pay, while boxers receive about 60% of revenue from their events. Those figures offer context for Strickland’s complaint, although they do not show what any particular UFC athlete earns, nor do they establish that boxing and UFC events have identical costs or commercial arrangements.
White has rejected the suggestion that UFC pay will become a problem. The BBC reported that he said it was positive when athletes made more money and that fighter pay had continued to rise since 2001. He also referred to the UFC’s new £5.7bn broadcast agreement with Paramount and said compensation would be fine over the next seven years.
The contrast leaves Strickland’s position clear but unresolved: he is publicly seeking a route into boxing while saying he does not want to prolong an MMA career for financial reasons. The practical question is whether his existing UFC contract permits an arrangement that satisfies him. The available reports do not provide an answer.
Champion’s status raises the stakes
Strickland is not making the remarks as a fighter on the margins of the promotion. The BBC reported that he became a two-time UFC middleweight champion by beating Chimaev in May. MMA Fighting also listed previous wins over Israel Adesanya, Chimaev, Imavov and Anthony Hernandez.
That status gives his intervention added weight in the continuing discussion about compensation, but it does not turn his claims into independently verified findings about the entire roster. For now, the concrete development is limited to Strickland’s public stance: he has criticised the UFC’s pay model, expressed a preference for boxing and left his next competitive move uncertain.