Ex-UFC champ says Sean Strickland not wrong for speaking out on fighter pay

Kamaru Usman doesn't blame UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland for wanting an increase in pay.

Strickland (31-7 MMA, 18-7 UFC) aired out his grievances after signing a new UFC deal prior to challenging Khamzat Chimaev for the title in May. Strickland upset Chimaev at UFC 328, and has now expressed discontent with his contract as he negotiates his upcoming title defense against Nassourdine Imavov.

While Usman agrees that Strickland knows what he signed up for, he understands his frustration.

"It's a very difficult position and if you feel that you're not getting your just due, it doesn't matter. You're always going to want that," Usman said on his "Pound 4 Pound" podcast with Henry Cejudo. "That's always going to supercede everything. So it doesn't matter if the noble thing to do here is to shut up and fight these fights out. No.

"If you feel like you're not getting your just due, you're always going to say something. You're always going to feel some type of way. So yes, there's points on both sides, but it is what it is. It's a sucky situation, and this has been happening for a long, long time, and here we are – still happening. So Sean's not wrong for feeling the way that he feels."

Usman says Strickland isn't the first or last fighter that will speak out on fighter pay. Paulo Costa is also currently in a rift with the UFC, although his situation is different, seeing that he has just one fight left on his deal.

"We all know exactly how he's feeling because we've been through it," Usman said. "The world is just unfair. There's points on both ends, so this guy has a point in saying, 'You signed this deal. You should honor it or be a part of it,' but this other guy is not wrong for trying to get as much as he can from an unfair world that we are in. All in all, it's just a tough situation to be in."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ex-UFC champ says Sean Strickland 'not wrong' for speaking out on fighter pay