Sean Strickland isn’t shy about speaking his mind, and his latest comments make it clear he’s seriously tempted by the kind of money being made outside the UFC.
The reigning middleweight champion reacted to Jake Paul landing on Forbes’ highest-paid athletes list after reportedly earning around $70 million, and the numbers clearly caught his attention.
Speaking during a livestream with Nina Drama, the outspoken MMA star openly floated the idea of leaving the UFC altogether to chase a payday against “The Problem Child”.
“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,” Strickland said on Nina Drama’s livestream.
The comments weren’t just made in passing. Strickland doubled down on the financial disparity between MMA and boxing, suggesting that even a partial payday from a Jake Paul fight would eclipse his UFC earnings.
“If I made even a fraction of that, I’d be making more than the UFC is paying me,” he said. “I’d f—ing beat the s— out of Jake Paul.”
Strickland also took aim at “The Problem Child’s” in-ring credentials, pointing to his loss against Tommy Fury as evidence that the YouTuber-turned-boxer isn’t operating at a high level.
“Jake Paul lost against pretty much a reality star named Tommy… He’s not a real boxer,” Strickland added.
Despite the bravado, Strickland acknowledged that the financial upside is the real driving factor behind his interest. He even claimed a single fight with Paul could surpass what he’s earned throughout his entire UFC career.
“I’ll make more money f—ing up Jake Paul than I would my entire UFC career. How f—ed up is that?” he said.