Sean Strickland wants to quit UFC due to low pay

UFC has been embroiled in a scandal of sorts for a long time regarding how much money the organization brings in and how despite making billions they give relatively little of that money back to the fighters who without them, the organization wouldn't exist.

I can see both sides of the argument here and agree with certain parts of it. You see, UFC was a money-loser for a very long time and it looked like MMA wasn't even going to happen but then someone, Dana White, took a huge gamble on attempting to revitalize the industry and managed not to just succeed, but ended up making it the most popular combat-sport in the world. It was something that people just watched on video-tapes back in the 90's and the organization was hemorrhaging money. It took a while, but Dana and his group turned it around, got it out of the red, and then made it one of the most profitable sports anythings of all time.

He wasn't regarded as being greedy then, he was regarded as an incredibly benevolent and generous pioneer taking huge risks with his own money. Now that it has turned around and the isn't giving "all the money" to the fighters he is regarded as a money-hoarding tyrant.

There is a tinge of sarcasm in there because even if you do take huge risks to turn something profitable, at some point you have to be a bit more fair to the people involved in it and do some sort of profit sharing. He IS profit-sharing and that amount increases on a regular basis - barely. He definitely could afford to give the fighters more, but doesn't. I can relate to why someone that toiled for so long wouldn't want to just hand over all the profits.

But is his toil greater than the amount of work that fighters put into getting to the top? That's a matter of perspective and opinion I would imagine.

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Sean Strickland is a bit of a fan favorite and a lot of this has to do with how well he handles the spotlight outside of the octagon and how well he manages (or has managed) his social media.

He wants, and many would say deserves big money for his fights but UFC is not budging on being unwilling to pay him what he asks for. I can relate to Sean's side of things as well. he put a lot into this, getting to where he is, and now he wants to cash in. When he brings up the huge money that Conor McGregor was paid for his 30 second match earlier this year, even though Conor couldn't continue because of an injury, a lot of people start to listen. Conor made a million dollars a second in that fight although you do have to give the guy some credit because it isn't like he WANTED to get injured and be unable to continue.

While the amount hasn't been disclosed, Sean wants millions to fight again and I would be willing to bet that he, much like others who wished the hey the clout of Conor (but don't) was asking for similar money that Conor got.

Then of course he tries to call out Jake Paul, which is something that just refuses to go away. Jake is no stranger to PR, so he takes the bait although it does look a bit desperate and almost like begging when Sean kisses Paul's ass to try to get him to agree to a big payday fight.

Apparently, Strickland was offended by the lowball offer of $400k to fight, $400 bonus to win in an upcoming UFC event and ended up cancelling the entire thing. That's the thing with UFC contracts. The fighter is contractually obligated to a certain number of fights with the promotion before they can fight for anyone else, they are never FORCED to fight and can always say no. The only problem in Sean's situation is that he is burning valuable youth and "limelight time" while he waits it out.

Now I will agree with Sean that this is a very lowball number, and insulting one actually, to headline a major UFC event when you are at the moment anyway, one of the biggest names in the game. In 2025 UFC made $1.5 billion. The definitely can afford to pay Sean more than that.

But here is the real problem for Sean. Dana White is notoriously hard-headed, and by making this situation public Sean has likely gotten on Dana's bad side and should Dana decide that he wants to punish Sean, Dana is going to win this one.

Strickland is a big name for sure, but he doesn't have anywhere near the amount of clout of some of the other far more recognizable and bankable names like McGregor, Jon Jones, or Brock Lesnar. Dana has all the chips in this situation.

Jake Paul can't really save Sean in this one and this also brings bout the question of Jake perhaps not wanting to fight anymore. Jake Paul has a net worth of $200 million. He doesn't need to fight or do anything really. He is also positioned to make a ton more money by NOT fighting and just being the face of MVP Productions. Sean Strickland on the other hand has a net worth of around $5 million. This is nothing to scoff at, but it isn't the sort of money where the dude can just never work again and enjoy a life of frivolity.

I think there definitely is a fair middle-ground here as far as Strickland and all other UFC fighters are concerned via Zuffa and Dana White, but the thing is Dana and Zuffa don't actually have to do anything they don't want to. They don't have any real competition in the MMA world and if they want to just not pay their fighters, that is going to be an option until someone like the Saudis come in and create a competitor. I think that is the only thing that can really turn this around.