I will not fight: Sean Strickland issues ultimatum to UFC amid escalating pay disp

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Sean Strickland is standing his ground in his financial dispute with the UFC.

The UFC middleweight champion announced Friday he "will not fight or sign any contract" until he and the promotion "get this figured out." Strickland, a two-time titleholder, was expected to defend his belt against top contenderNassourdine Imavov to close out 2026, however those plans fell apart after Strickland and the promotion were unable to agree to terms over the champion's pay. Strickland has repeatedly vented his frustrations over social media in the days since, threatening to vacate his UFC title and openly courting a big-money boxing match against Jake Paul.

Strickland's Friday comments in full:

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!

Strickland's latest promise followed comments he made revealing that his "heart just isn't in MMA anymore," and that he was "over" his relationship with the UFC "unless things change." The middleweight champ pointed to the big-money checks cashed by fellow UFC star Conor McGregor and boxer Conor Benn — the latter of whom inked a reported $15 million deal with Dana White's Zuffa Boxing despite never winning a world title — and called the promotion's latest offer for a title defense against Imavov "insulting."

With Strickland and the promotion stuck at an impasse, the UFC ultimately pivoted to a Charles Oliveira vs. Diego Lopes BMF title bout to headline UFC 335 on Dec. 12.

Despite his various outside-of-the-cage controversies, Strickland is one of the UFC's few American stars in its current climate. He shocked the MMA world in May by upsetting the previously undefeated Khamzat Chimaev to reclaim the middleweight title at UFC 328.

Prior to that, Strickland dominated Israel Adesanya in another shocking result to claim the belt as a sizable underdog in September 2023 at UFC 293.

Strickland previously defeated Imavov via unanimous decision in a light heavyweight bout in 2023. A potential rematch between the two remains up in the air for early 2027.