Champion pay is in the MMA headlines after UFC middle weight champion Sean Strickland launched into a social media tirade last week.
Strickland appears to be putting his foot down when he rejected an end-of-the-year fight offer to defend his belt against top contender Nassourdine Imavov. The two-time reigning champion has repeatedly shared his frustrations with the UFC’s salary in public and his ongoing focus with the promotion, stating that he is now competing in boxing and will not return to the UFC until everything is resolved.
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Through a similar incident at the highest point of his career as a UFC flyweight champion, MMA legend Demetrious Johnson told Strickland on Monday’s edition of “The Ariel Helwani Show.”
“I’ve been in his position before. At the end of the day, I fought out of my contract with the champion because I wanted more money, and he wasn’t going to give me more money,” said Johnson.
“When I fight, I’m f***ing finishing people, I’m creating moves there, I’m f***ing you up, whether they believe it or not – and I fought by contract, so I’ve been there before. So you have to decide, does he want to fight or not? It’s a very simple question. Do you want to fight, yes or no.”
According to MMA Junkie Mike Bohn, Strickland signed a new six-fight UFC contract before his last fight – a split-title upset over Khamzat Chimaev in May. Win Strickland began his second championship reign after his first ended in January 2024 at the hands of Dric du Plessis.
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In Johnson’s heyday, he was infamously faced with the possibility of a champion-vs.-champion against bantamweight title holder TJ Dillashaw. But to get the matchup, Johnson wanted a million-dollar payday — something he never received during his 18-fight run with the company.
Although he understands Strickland’s doubts, Johnson asked where to set the bar under these circumstances.
“There comes a point in time where is enough?” Johnson said. “Did I make more money? One thousand percent. But I don’t sit here and hold it and moan about it. What happened. Now I’m moving forward, and I think when you saw the athlete sign nine-fight a lot, if he’s happy, I’m happy with my decision.
“At the end of the day, Sean Strickland is a journey. It’s a career. If he’s not happy, I have to be miserable with him. It doesn’t mean I agree with him. Even Henry Cejudo said, “Man, I was trying to make more money, so I could leave.” Then he came back, and he didn’t.
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Johnson’s situation with the UFC was officially discussed around the time of the Dillashaw fight, but he never took it to social media. This is where Strickland believes the character is lacking. Johnson said: “No one should see this fight open for the world.”
“I [prefer] if he just goes out and says, ‘Hey, this is what I want. The UFC is not going to give me, so I will fight the remaining guys of the contract, then beating, said Johnson, “Or, I don’t want to do mixed martial arts anymore. I don’t want to do it because the money is not good. Then he just leaves.
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“You’re given options. I’m a black and white kind of person, right? He signed a contract, and he had five fights left on his contract. Maybe he didn’t think he was going to win. [against Chimaev]and now he’s stuck in a place where he’s not going to make the kind of money he thought he was going to make. I don’t know.”
“[But] he doesn’t have to fight,” Johnson added. “He can go, ‘Guys, I don’t want to fight anymore. Cash s***. I want to make more money in boxing. You saw what Francis [Ngannou] he did, he became like a ***-ton of money [in boxing]. I want to do the same. Do you know then, UFC? I have to take off my belt now. I don’t want to do mixed martial arts, I don’t want to fight anymore. Get a belt, someone else can fight for this s***ty ass. You let me know when I can go to the box and make some real money. Why can’t the conversation be like this publicly?
“That’s how simple the conversation is. It doesn’t have to be a long drawn out thing. It can be just, this is what I want to do, this is why, this is my number. Here are my numbers, guys. I’m doing this now. Do you guys think [enough]?'”