Sean Strickland is ready to trade UFC gold for Jake Paul money.
The reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight champion has threatened to surrender his 185-pound title, move up to Light Heavyweight, and burn through the remaining fights on his contract after becoming increasingly frustrated with his pay.
“I gotta be honest: unless things change with the UFC, I’m kind of over it,” Strickland wrote on Twitter. “McGregor makes $30 million to fight for 30 seconds, and they don’t 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 frustration comes just days after UFC went in a different direction for its year-end numbered event.
The foul-mouthed champion was eyed to headline UFC 335 against top-ranked contender Nassourdine Imavov on Dec. 12, 2026, inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Strickland even revealed that negotiations were “almost there,” with his salary being the final obstacle standing in the way.
“We’re discussing pay now,” Strickland wrote last month. “Once that detail is squared, it’s locked in.”
Apparently, that detail was never squared.
UFC instead booked Charles Oliveira vs. Diego Lopes for the “BMF” title in the UFC 335 main event, while former two-division champion Alex Pereira battles Sergei Pavlovich in a five-round Heavyweight co-headliner.
Imavov later offered to put up $500,000 of his own money if Strickland defeated him and called on UFC to strip the champion if he continued to hold out.
However, Strickland may now beat the promotion to it.
“It’s just hard,” Strickland wrote. “McGregor: $30 million. Some lame boxer: $15 million. The thought of just giving up my belt, going to 205 and speed-running my contract to fight Jake and make what these guys are making sounds pretty damn appealing.”
The $30 million figure references Conor McGregor’s lucrative UFC 329 comeback against Max Holloway, which officially lasted 69 seconds before “Notorious” suffered another devastating knee injury. McGregor was reportedly guaranteed at least $15 million, with his total payday potentially reaching more than $30 million.
Meanwhile, the “lame boxer” appears to be Conor Benn, who received a reported $15 million deal to join Zuffa Boxing before getting demolished by Ryan Garcia in Sept. 2026 (watch highlights).
Strickland elaborated in another post that was quickly deleted.
“It’s also just insulting how much McGregor and some lame boxer made,” Strickland wrote. “I can sit here and grind at Middleweight and kill myself to make 185, or just move up, enjoy it, knock out my contract and get a bag to fight Paul … sorry, beating the brakes off Paul.”
This is not the first time Strickland has flirted with leaving UFC to box “The Problem Child.” Earlier this year, he openly asked to be released after learning Paul earned approximately $70 million in 2025.
Strickland reclaimed the Middleweight championship by upsetting Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328 this past May. Nevertheless, defending that title apparently sounds much less appealing than collecting a massive boxing payday against Paul.
For now, Strickland remains UFC champion.
But, apparently, the belt is negotiable.
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