Sean Strickland says he is done with the UFC and wants to box. The UFC middleweight champion made the declaration in a new video posted to his X account Thursday, accusing the promotion of no longer caring about its fighters and not paying them enough to leave on their own terms.
“I’m gonna say the quiet part out loud that nobody says… the [UFC] just doesn’t care anymore. They don’t pay you enough money to walk away,” Strickland said. “The UFC builds a legacy, they don’t pay you enough so you have to come back and ruin your legacy.”
He then turned on the product itself, calling it “this goyslop, repackaged, McDonalds straight to the head.” Strickland said he is finished with it and wants a new path. “I’m not doing it anymore. I want to fight, I want to box. We’re trying to work that out, but if the UFC says ‘we’re not gonna do that,’ well, I’m gonna stick and move.”
No boxing bout has been announced, and Strickland remains under UFC contract.
A rough 24 hours for the champion
The video follows a run of posts that began Wednesday, when Strickland wrote that “unless things change with the UFC Im kinda over it” and floated moving to 205 pounds to fight out his contract and box Jake Paul. Early Thursday he said his heart is no longer in MMA and that he planned to ask the UFC what Zuffa Boxing has to offer. The new video goes further, suggesting he is prepared to walk if the UFC will not sign off on a boxing move.
Strickland reclaimed the middleweight title at UFC 328 in May with a split decision win over Khamzat Chimaev. His first defense, against Nassourdine Imavov, is still not official amid the pay dispute. Imavov has offered $500,000 of his own money to get the fight made in January and has asked the UFC to strip Strickland if he refuses.
