Sean Strickland might vacate title status if his ongoing contract dispute with the UFC remains unresolved.
The UFC middleweight champion has grown increasingly vocal about his frustrations with fighter pay, and his latest comments suggest he could walk away from the division rather than accept terms he believes are unfair.
The controversy intensified after the UFC announced Charles Oliveira vs. Diego Lopes as the main event for UFC 335, the promotion’s final pay-per-view event of 2026. Many expected Strickland to defend his title before the end of the year, especially after he previously stated that he planned to return in December.
However, negotiations between the champion and the UFC appear to have stalled. Strickland recently revealed that he will not compete at UFC 335 because he and the promotion have failed to reach an agreement on compensation. Reports indicate the UFC opted to move forward with a different championship fight despite the middleweight king being available to compete.
As speculation continues to grow, Strickland might vacate title honors altogether if the situation does not improve.
“I gotta be honest, unless things change with the UFC, I’m kinda over it,” Strickland wrote on social media.
The former champion-turned-titleholder also compared his earnings to those of Conor McGregor, expressing frustration over the gap in pay.
“McGregor makes 30 million to fight for 30 seconds and they don’t want to pay us a fraction of it,” Strickland wrote. “Contemplating just going to 205, knocking out my contract and scrapping with Jake Paul. That sounds fun.”
The comments came despite recent efforts from top contender Nassourdine Imavov to keep their proposed title fight alive. Imavov even publicly offered Strickland additional money to accept the matchup, but the champion’s dissatisfaction appears to run deeper than a single fight purse.
Strickland later doubled down on his stance and suggested he would be willing to surrender the middleweight belt if it meant pursuing bigger opportunities elsewhere.
“The thought of just giving up my belt, going to 205 and speed running my contract to fight Jake and make what these guys are making sounds pretty damn appealing.”
The remarks have fueled uncertainty around the future of the middleweight division. A rematch between Strickland and Imavov has long been viewed as the most likely title fight, but no official announcement has been made.
A fan later pointed out that Strickland has already defeated elite names such as Israel Adesanya and Khamzat Chimaev during his UFC run. The champion responded by highlighting the financial disparity between himself and some of the sport’s biggest stars.
“Yep, and they both made significantly more than me.”
