Sean Strickland teases leaving UFC for money and to fight Jake Paul

May 25, 2026 - 16:00

One of the most prominent UFC fighters of the current era, Sean Strickland, has now teased a surprising jump. Just days after his win over Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328, Strickland has suggested moving to Jake Paul’s MVP for a financial raise.

Strickland has once again brought up the issue of UFC fighter compensation, this time in reaction to Forbes’ 2026 ranking of the top 50 highest-earning athletes globally. Recently, Forbes released the list of the highest-paid athletes of 2026, where Cristiano Ronaldo topped the list with $235M, and Canelo Alvarez stood second with $160M. The list also had Jake Paul at number 13 with $60M.

Unlike some of the top boxing, soccer, or F1 stars, no UFC athlete was part of the list. Responding to the situation, Strickland suggested making a move to MVP, also known as Most Valuable Promotions, a boxing and MMA production company founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian.

“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 during a livestream with Nina Drama last Saturday in May. 23, 2026.

However, when Nina Drama pointed out that none of Paul’s opponents made it to the list, Strickland responded, “I would make him pay me. But even if I make a fraction of that, I’d be making more than the UFC is paying me. “I’d f***ing beat the s**t out of Jake Paul. Jake Paul lost against pretty much a reality star named Tommy [Fury]. He’s not a real boxer.”

Strickland, 35, currently holds the UFC Middleweight Championship, and there are no immediate plans for him to jump promotions.

Sean Strickland reacts to Jake Paul making the Forbes highest-paid athletes list and says he wants to leave his UFC contract to box him ••
via @Ninadrama #JakePaul #SeanStrickland pic.twitter.com/zXHiTbc3OC
— MVP – Most Valuable Promotions (@MostVpromotions) May 25, 2026