Sean Strickland stands his ground in a financial dispute with the UFC.
The UFC middleweight champion announced on Friday, “he will not fight or sign any contract” until he and the promotion “have this figured out.” Strickland, the holder of two titles, was expected to defend the belt against a top contender Nassourdine Imavov to close in 2026, however, those plans fell through after Strickland and the promotion could not agree on terms over the champion’s wages. Strickland has repeatedly in the days since vented his frustrations on social media, threatening to leave his UFC title and openly earn big money boxing against Jake Paul.
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Strickland’s Friday comment in full:
I will not fight or sign any contract until this is figured out
Hopefully it’s figured out first
Thanks for all your help!
Strickland’s latest promise was followed by comments in which he declared that his heart just wasn’t in MMA anymore, and that he was “over” his relationship with the UFC “unless things change.” The middleweight champ pointed to big-time checks from fellow UFC star Conor McGregor and boxer Conor Benn – the latter of whom signed a $15 million deal with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing despite never winning a world title – and called the latest offers for a title defense against Imavov “insulting”.
With Strickland and the promotion stuck at a standstill, the UFC finally settled on Carlos Oliveira vs. Diego Lopes will headline the BMF title at UFC 335 on Dec. 12.
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Despite his various out-of-the-box controversies, Strickland is one of the few American stars in his current climate. He shocked the MMA world in May by toppling previously undefeated Khamzat Chimaev to reclaim the middleweight title at UFC 328.
Prior to this, Strickland dominated Israel Adesanya in another grueling event to claim the bantamweight belt in September 2023 at UFC 293.
Strickland previously defeated Imavov by unanimous decision in a heavyweight bout in 2023. A potential rematch between the two in the air in early 2027 remains up.