A few weeks ago, UFC Middleweight champion Sean Strickland expressed his annoyance over his current UFC contract. Strickland then followed it up by teasing a jump to Jake Paul's MVP. While Strickland continued ranting about his UFC pay and existing contract, it was finally addressed by company president Dana White.

Now, a few days later, UFC commentator and podcaster Joe Rogan has also shared his thoughts on it. “He’s going through something with the UFC right now, where like, he said his heart isn’t in MMA anymore, and he wants to get out so he can box Jake Paul,” Rogan said during a recent podcast episode with Robert Whittaker.

“At the end of the day, he’s a fan favorite, and that’s a big factor. If you’re trying to sell a fight, and the UFC needs to sell fights, and you’ve got a world champion like Khamzat and you need someone to fight him, who better to sell the damn fight than Sean Strickland. He’s gonna talk mad amounts of s**t. He knows how to stir up the pot, that’s for sure,” Rogan added.

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Strickland's Middleweight championship won’t be on the line this year in 2026. After he defeated Khamzat Chimaev in early 2026, Strickland was set to defend his belt against Nassourdine Imavov before the year's end. However, the fight was delayed after Strickland refused to fight under his current contractual terms. Strickland had agreed to the new deal only five months ago. However, Conor McGregor and Conor Benn's new hefty financial deals reportedly caused Strickland to go on a rant.