Sean Strickland wants to box, ready to move on from the UFC
Two-time UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland wants to move away from mixed martial arts and transition into boxing.
“Tarzan” is at odds with the fight promotion over fighter pay and says he’s willing to give up the 185-pound championship, fight out his UFC contract and move on to the squared circle. He also indicated that his heart simply isn’t in MMA anymore.
The 35-year-old posted a video on Instagram voicing his frustration with the UFC, his future intentions and criticized the organization’s handling of champions.
“So, you guys, I’ve fought for the title four times. I’ve won it twice. Beat all the boogiemen in the division. Hell, I’ve fought half the division already and I want to box. I want to go put a f**king boxing title on my mantle. I deserve it. Hell, I don’t even do MMA. I just box,” said Strickland in the video.
“I will put hands on any boxer. Jake Paul wants to give me a big ol’ bag of money to fight him. I’m under contract. Fine. I’ll go to Zuffa (Boxing). I’ll go beat your cruiserweight champ (Jai Opetaia), easy.”
Strickland heavily criticized the UFC over fighter pay and what he perceives as ruining fighters’ legacies.
“Let me tell you something about the UFC. And I’m going to say the quiet part out loud that nobody says. You’ll go to watch these champions, these like savages of the sport. They run the division and they take an L and then they come back and they just like, man, they just fight three or four times. They get f**king flatlined. It’s like, dude, what happened to you? And you realize, the UFC happened to them. They just don’t care anymore.
“The UFC, they don’t pay you enough money to walk away, like, man, life is f**king good. I’ve dedicated my life to this, I’ve put the time in this. The UFC builds a legacy. They keep it right here. But they build a legacy and they don’t pay you enough, so you have to come back and ruin your legacy.”
At the end of the day, Strickland is ready to move on.
“I’m not doing it anymore. I want to fight. I want to box. I want to go win a boxing title. We’re trying to work that out, but if the UFC says, ‘Hey, we’re not going to do that. You want a major fight?’ Well, we’re going to stick and move. You guys are going to boo. Hell, I’ll f**king boo with you while I’m doing it. Stick and move, collect my check and then move on. But, I mean, hell, here we are.”