Sean Strickland Exposes UFC for Underpaying and Blasts Nassourdine Imavov for ‘Cringe’ Confrontation

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is known for his outspoken nature and didn't hold back on two different fronts.

Sean Strickland Exposes UFC for Underpaying and Blasts Nassourdine Imavov for ‘Cringe’ Confrontation

Sean Strickland had a lot to say about UFC and Nassourdine Imavov (Image via MMA Mania/Screengrab)

It is undeniable that Sean Strickland is a superstar in the UFC, especially among active fighters. No one brings chaos to a press conference quite like ‘Tarzan.’ He was expected to headline UFC 335 in December against Nassourdine Imavov, but that didn’t come to fruition.

When Strickland doesn’t sign the contract, the reason is always simple. He wants more money. Considering UFC’s $7.7 billion deal with Paramount+, this should not be an issue. At the moment, Strickland doesn’t like the UFC’s offer although details surrounding the matter remains scarce.

Strickland went on X like usual to rant about stuff. This time, the American fighter didn’t use expletives. Instead, he compared his situation to Conor McGregor and felt that he would get more money boxing Jake Paul in the squared circle.

I gotta be honest unless things change with the UFC I’m kinda over it. McGregor makes 30 million to fight for 30 second and they don’t want to pay us a fraction of it. Contemplating just going to 205 knocking out my contract and scrapping with @jakepaul. That sounds fun.

Sean Strickland via X

The tweet went viral on X. It has more than 5.3 million impressions with around 85K likes. Conor McGregor made around $30 million for his short-lived fight against Max Holloway at UFC 329. This angered fans as they felt defending champion Strickland should make a considerable amount of money.

The UFC middleweight champion didn’t stop there. He once again considered vacating his belt and moving to the light heavyweight division to finish his UFC contract.

Its just hard McGregor 30 million. Some lame boxer 15 million. The thought of just giving up my belt going to 205 and speed running my contract to fight Jake and make what these guys are making sounds pretty damn appealing

Sean Strickland via X

Strickland thinking about vacating the title may be a negotiation tactic to make the UFC pay his required amount. After arriving at a stalemate earlier, the promotion booked Charles Oliveira vs Diego Lopes as the main event of UFC 335 in December.

The reports suggest that Imavov is next for Strickland instead of Khamzat Chimaev. To that end, the French star is pulling out all the stops to make sure he fights Strickland next, including public confrontations to hype up the bout.

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Nassourdine Imavov confrontation at UFC PI exposed by Sean Strickland

Imavov and Strickland fought in the beginning of 2023 when ‘Tarzan’ took a bout on short-notice. Strickland didn’t look out of sorts as he out struck Imavov to win a decision. Since then, the French star has put on a five-fight winning streak.

UFC superstar Sean Strickland
UFC superstar Sean Strickland (Image via Reuters)

In a bizarre move, Imavov is offering pay to Strickland in order to compete in a rematch with the title on the line. The Frenchman did it once online and proceeded to do the same with Strickland in the UFC PI as well.

The middleweight champion didn’t escalate the situation and left without any confrontation. Later, Strickland went on X to expose the stunt pulled by Imavov at the UFC PI.

Cringe… his training partner knows our schedule because he’s trained with us. But instead chose to go to the PI with the nicest underpaid staff and full security to get content. It was all fake content. If anything it’s just mildly uncomfortable. 4 guys with iPhones and security lol I just felt awkward.

Sean Strickland via Instagram comments

In the past, Strickland has always complained about the UFC paycheck before signing a favorable fight contract. Dana White or the UFC brass has yet to respond to the claims made by the middleweight champion.

So far, the promotion has figured out the rest of 2026 and will likely move forward to figuring out the matchups for 2027. In the coming weeks, the UFC and Strickland will reach an agreement for a title defense against Imavov in the first quarter of next year.

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