Sean Strickland reacts to Jake Paul appearing on Forbes' highest-paid athletes list, jestingly calls for UFC release
Sean Strickland issued a humorous response to Jake Paul being featured in Forbes' highest-paid athletes list, jokingly adding that he'd depart the UFC to fight Paul.
Reigning UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has long been at odds with social media influencer-cum-boxer Jake Paul. Both have traded barbs over the years. Strickland has often criticized him for competing in celebrity crossover boxing matches and mismatches rather than facing legitimate boxing opposition.
After recently learning that Paul was included in a list of the world's highest-paid athletes, Strickland took aim at the boxer and even jested that he'd like to be released from his UFC contract to fight "The Problem Child."
Sean Strickland's reaction to Jake Paul's inclusion in the highest-paid athletes list
The Forbes list of highest-paid athletes of 2026 was topped by football/soccer megastar Cristiano Ronaldo, a feat that Ronaldo has accomplished for the fourth year consecutively. Ronaldo's earnings for the year were deemed to be around $300 million.
Meanwhile, celebrity and boxer Jake Paul was ranked at number 23 on the list. Per ESPN, Paul's earnings were noted to be $70 million. Besides, no MMA fighters made it to the list of the top-50 athletes, and the only boxers on the list were Paul (at $70 million) and Canelo Alvarez (ranked at number 2 with earnings of $170 million)
Sean Strickland recently partook in a livestream featuring influencer and MMA interviewer, Nina-Marie Daniele (aka Nina Drama), at Adin Ross' Brand Risk Promotions 14 event on May 23, 2026. While Daniele showed him the Forbes list of highest-paid athletes of 2026, which included Paul, Strickland jestingly asked for his UFC release so that he could fight Paul and bag a lucrative payday. "Tarzan" stated, "Oh my God! I gotta leave UFC, go beat up Jake Paul. That's it. Cut my contract, UFC. It's time for me to leave."
That said, Daniele explained that none of Paul's boxing opponents made it to the list. Nevertheless, Strickland suggested that he'd make Paul pay him well. The veteran fighter added, "Even if I made a fraction of that, I'm making more than the f**king UFC is paying me."
Sean Strickland warns he'd beat Jake Paul
Furthermore, Sean Strickland warned, "Oh, I'll f**king beat the sh** out of Jake Paul." The UFC 185-pound kingpin also alluded to Paul's points defeat at the hands of reality TV star-cum-boxer Tommy Fury that transpired back in 2023. He added, "Jake Paul lost against pretty much a reality TV star ."
Presently, Strickland is the UFC middleweight champion, having reclaimed the title by beating Khamzat Chimaev via split decision earlier this month. Since he's a reigning UFC champion and under contract with the MMA organization, the consensus is that he's unlikely to box with Jake Paul in the immediate future.
On the other hand, Paul's most recent combat sports contest was a professional boxing bout against former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, which the YouTuber lost via knockout, in December 2025. Paul also suffered jaw injuries in it and hasn't competed since, although he has been making waves in the fight game as a promoter -- notably venturing into MMA promotion with MVP MMA 1 on May 16, 2026.
Check out Strickland's comments below:
Sean Strickland wants to leave the UFC after seeing Jake Paul on the Forbes highest-paid athletes list 😭
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) May 24, 2026
“I gotta leave the UFC and go beat up Jake Paul. That’s it. Cut my contract, UFC. It’s time for me to leave.” https://t.co/TA2gxlnY9c pic.twitter.com/rh4ENU8eBp
