A financial standoff between the UFC and Sean Strickland has caught the attention of retired star Jorge Masvidal. After demanding a bigger payout for a crossover boxing match against Jai Opetaia under the Zuffa Boxing banner, Strickland threatened to walk away from the promotion completely.
UFC CEO Dana White dismissed the proposal bluntly. Now, Masvidal has stepped into the debate, but he is taking the middleweight champion’s side.
Jorge Masvidal Says UFC Should Pay Sean Strickland More
Strickland won the middleweight title in May with a split-decision victory over Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328. However, the champion recently threatened to give up his belt, move up to light heavyweight, and pursue a boxing match against Jake Paul once his contract ends.
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“Tarzan” shared his frustration online, complaining that Conor McGregor makes 30 million dollars — pointing to his brief 69-second fight at UFC 329 — while active champions receive only a fraction of that money. He made these demands despite reportedly having five fights left on his current UFC contract, which he signed right before UFC 328.
Masvidal weighed in on the standoff during an interview with Home of Fight. The 41-year-old highlighted the UFC’s massive new $7.7 billion broadcasting deal with Paramount, arguing that a company making that much money should easily satisfy its top draws.
“We’re at a good place, getting 1.3 billion dollars a year,” Masvidal said. “Why can you not pay this guy? Pay these guys more, UFC. It shouldn’t even be an option to go box Jake f—– Paul.”
😳👀 Jorge Masvidal sounds off on the UFC not paying Sean Strickland
“We’re at a good place, getting 1.3 billion dollars a year, why can you not pay this guy?
Pay these guys more, UFC. It shouldn’t even be an option to go box Jake f*cking Paul.”
🎥: @Home_of_Fight / @JakeNoecker▫️
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) October 9, 2026
However, this is not the first time Masvidal has publicly aligned himself with the champion. Before UFC 328, he backed Strickland to reclaim his title by placing a $100,000 bet on him to defeat Chimaev.
Speaking on the Deep Waters podcast at the time, Masvidal said, “I’ve got my money on Chimaev losing… I’ve dumped some money on Strickland finishing it.”
Masvidal understands the business side of the sport firsthand. Before UFC 251 in 2020, he publicly slammed the promotion’s pay structure and sat out until they met his terms. He stepped in on six days’ notice to fight Kamaru Usman, later revealing the gamble secured him a $5 million payday because he forced a better distribution of the 1.3 million pay-per-view buys.
Amid this contract dispute, his reported title defense against Nassourdine Imavov is stuck in negotiations. The tension grew at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas, where Imavov confronted Strickland and urged him to sign the contract.
Strickland has not officially given up his title. However, with his boxing plans blocked, White instead revealed that Opetaia will likely fight Deontay Wilder on the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua undercard in Cardiff. The move completely cuts Strickland out of the equation, keeping the middleweight champion’s immediate future trapped inside the octagon.
