Sean Strickland's MAJOR claim - won't "fight" or "sign any contract" amid UFC negotiations debacle

Sean Strickland has made a seemingly major statement amid his highly publicized pay dispute with the UFC mixed martial arts organization. 

The polarizing MMA combatant has suggested that he wouldn't compete in any fight or sign any contract until his issues with the UFC are resolved.

Sean Strickland's definitive statement -- UFC champ refuses to fight or sign contract amid pay dispute

Sean Strickland has fought in the UFC since way back in 2014, and he happens to be a two-time UFC middleweight champion. The American is also the reigning UFC middleweight titleholder, and he was rumored to be set for a title defense in a rematch against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC 335 on December 12. 

Nevertheless, the consensus is that Strickland's pay dispute with the UFC caused those plans to go awry. The UFC instead booked BMF champion Charles Oliveira to defend his belt against Diego Lopes in the headlining match of UFC 335. 

Meanwhile, Strickland has lately gone on a social media offensive against the UFC, alleging that they're underpaying him. He's now taken to X and made an assertive statement, indicating that he wouldn't compete in a fight or sign any deal until he's sorted his issues with the UFC. 

I will not fight or sign any contract until I get this figured out Hopefully we get it figured out soon Thanks for all your support it helps! 👊

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) October 9, 2026

Strickland wrote, "I will not fight or sign any contract until I get this figured out. Hopefully we get it figured out soon. Thanks for all your support it helps!" 

When asked why he signed his UFC contract in the first place, Strickland replied, "The UFC doesn't work like that." He subsequently added, "Sign this or we won't do this lol they act like you have any power in this sport." 

Check out the screenshots of Strickland's X posts about his current stance on his UFC pay debacle below: 

Sean Strickland's comparisons with Conor McGregor and Conor Benn's payouts; reported UFC deal details

Sean Strickland raised a few points concerning the purportedly low pay accorded to him, highlighting that Conor McGregor bagged $30 million for his latest Octagon outing and Conor Benn was handed $15 million by the UFC-associated Zuffa Boxing. 

Furthermore, additional reports emerging this week drew a contrasting picture to previous claims about Strickland's UFC pay. Some quarters in the MMA community were rife with conjecture that the 35-year-old was relegated to a deal wherein he was fetching merely $400k per fight to compete, with a $400k additional payout as his win purse, provided he wins the said fight. 

Nevertheless, Mike Bohn reported that Strickland was paid far more than that and had also signed a multi-fight UFC contract before he dethroned Khamzat Chimaev in May. 

On his part, Strickland recently implied that he's lost interest in MMA and would love to try his hand at boxing. He even publicly pondered moving up to the UFC light heavyweight division, competing as frequently as possible to knock off all the fights on his UFC deal. Apparently, he'd then prefer exiting the MMA organization to box against influencer and MVP combat sports brand founder Jake Paul.