Strickland claims UFC forced him into new deal

The former champion alleges he was pressured into signing a six-fight contract and is considering a move to boxing.

This morning, several reports surfaced claiming that Sean Strickland signed a new six-fight UFC contract ahead of the UFC 328 event, where he faced Khamzat Chimaev. However, from Sean Strickland’s perspective, these complaints are completely baseless, given that he has repeatedly stated that he was paid far too little for the bout and is therefore considering leaving the UFC. According to the latest information, though, he is said to have received more than one million dollars for the bout, which would be more than enough.

The problem with the contract, however, is that Sean Strickland is said to have felt a bit pressured to sign it. A fan asked him on X why he signed a new contract at all if he felt underpaid. He replied:

“Sign this, or we won’t do this lol. They act like you have any power in this sport”

Now he's expected to face Nassourdine Imavov and defend his title. Imavov seems to be pretty frustrated already, since he's even putting his own money on the line for the fight.

“😂😂😂 If it’s really about money, I’ll put $500K of my own money on the line if you beat me in January @SStricklandMMA putting this on record If you still don’t take it, then you’re just scared. I’ll handle you outside. @ufc THIS is your champ? Come on STRIP HIM #NoHappyEnding”

he wrote.

Sean Strickland, however, has shown on multiple occasions that he has little interest in the matchup. From his perspective, he has reportedly already moved on from MMA and is seriously considering switching to boxing. It will be really interesting to see what happens next and whether the UFC has truly lost one of its top champs.