Sean Strickland vs Jake Paul sounds fun to middleweight champion
UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has expressed frustration with his current pay and is considering leaving the organization to fight Jake Paul. Strickland suggested he might move to the light heavyweight division to expedite his contract and pursue more lucrative opportunities.
Why it matters
The tension between UFC fighter pay and the rise of crossover boxing/MMA events like those promoted by Jake Paul is a major ongoing narrative in combat sports.
Hear this story Sean Strickland versus Jake Paul in the cage, anyone?
Strickland, UFC middleweight champion, mused about that possibility along with threatening to leave the UFC .
“I gotta be honest unless things change with the UFC Im kinda over it,’’ Strickland wrote Wednesday, Oct. 7 on his Twitter account. “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 (pounds, the light heavyweight division) knocking out my contract and scrapping with @jakepaul .’’
Paul, 29 has expressed interest in fighting in MMA and has said he expects it to happen in 2027. But he has not resumed training since he suffered a broken jaw in a knockout loss to Anthony Joshua Dec. 19.
Strickland, 35, indicated he could meet Paul at 205 pounds.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in