Jorge Masvidal voices support for Sean Strickland amid the latter's UFC payout dispute

Former UFC BMF champion Jorge Masvidal sees nothing wrong with Sean Strickland's stance demanding a better payout from the promotion. Strickland justified his position by citing Conor McGregor's allegedly staggering payout for his UFC 329 fight. The reigning middleweight champion's remarks led Masvidal to side with him and point out that the UFC could afford to oblige him.

Jorge Masvidal Implies That the UFC Earns Enough to Fulfil Sean Strickland's Demand

Masvidal recently made it clear that he had kept his eyes on Strickland's payout dispute with the UFC. The first-ever UFC BMF champion revealed a bit of insider information regarding the UFC's revenues, opining that Dana White and Co. have the potential to fulfill Strickland's demands.

Considering the circumstances, Masvidal also asked the UFC to fulfill Strickland's claims. He said, "It hurts to hear that, truly. We’re at a good place, getting 1.3 billion dollars a year. Why can you not pay this guy? Maybe he's not the biggest star of the company, but he's top three."

Subsequently, 'Gamebred' counted Strickland's merits to rate him as a deserving contender to get his desired pay raise. "Sean is talked about everywhere. Maybe there are some who get a wider audience, like Ilia or Gaethje, but I don't think that even those guys have the cult-like following that Sean has," said Masvidal. "Super controversial guy, super fun to watch, happens to be the current world champion. Then why is he complaining about pay? I'm always gonna be on the fighters' side. Pay these guys more, UFC."

😳👀 Jorge Masvidal sounds off on the UFC not paying Sean Strickland “We’re at a good place, getting 1.3 billion dollars a year, why can you not pay this guy? Pay these guys more, UFC. It shouldn’t even be an option to go box Jake f*cking Paul.” 🎥: @Home_of_Fight / @JakeNoecker▫️

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) October 9, 2026

Strickland's rebellion against his UFC payout started after Dana White and Co. allegedly turned down his demand for more money than his contracted payout to defend his title against Nassourdine Imavov. Strickland has fired multiple shots at the promotion since then.

In one of them, he highlighted how the UFC allegedly paid McGregor "30 million" for his disastrous return at UFC 329, but wasn't ready to accept his demand. Subsequently, Strickland also disclosed that he was considering switching to Jake Paul's MVP due to the staggering amount of money he could make.

Strickland stated, "I gotta be honest, unless things change with the UFC, I'm kinda over it. McGregor makes 30 million to fight for 30 seconds, and they don't want to pay us a fraction of it. Contemplating just going to 205 knocking out my contract and scrapping with @jakepaul. That sounds fun."

I gotta be honest unless things change with the UFC Im kinda over it. McGregor makes 30 million to fight for 30 second and they dont want to pay us a fraction of it. Contemplating just going to 205 knocking out my contract and scrapping with @jakepaul That sounds fun.

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) October 7, 2026

While Strickland also cited the wear and tear in MMA as one of his reasons to consider quitting the sport, it's quite apparent that the payout dispute currently stands as the primary factor delaying his next encounter against Imavov.

Nevertheless, Strickland's thoughts about joining MVP also suggest that his next fight might not happen inside the octagon.