Strickland Says UFC Tied His Title Shot to a New Six-Fight Contract

The contract dispute between Sean Strickland and the UFC took another turn when details of his current deal became public. According to a report, the middleweight champion signed a fresh six-fight contract before his UFC 328 title fight against Khamzat Chimaev. The same report said rumors of a $400,000 to show and $400,000 to win arrangement were false, and that Strickland earned more than $1 million for the Chimaev bout.

Strickland's response

The report came after Strickland's recent claims that he is being underpaid. When a fan on X asked why he signed the contract if he felt lowballed, Strickland replied that the new deal was a condition of getting the title fight at all.

They act like you have any power in this sport.

He summed up the UFC's position as "sign this, or we won't do this".

How he got here

Strickland returned to title contention early this year by knocking out Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston, a result that earned him an immediate championship opportunity. At UFC 328 he took the belt from Chimaev by split decision, becoming a two-time middleweight champion.

His expected next assignment is a rematch with Nassourdine Imavov, but the pay dispute has stalled it. Imavov has said he is frustrated by the delay and publicly offered to put $500,000 of his own money on the line if Strickland beats him again in January.

Strickland, meanwhile, has given several reasons for avoiding the matchup. Beyond the money, he has said his body is struggling with the demands of MMA training, that his heart is no longer in the sport, and that boxing offers more money for less physical punishment.

Source: Sean Strickland on X