UFC star Sean Strickland is one of the most polarizing figures in the promotion. He has again taken the promotion’s brass to task over its fighter pay practices. This time, the former middleweight champion aimed his sights directly at the purse strings controlled by Dana White and company.
Daniel Cormier recently interviewed Sean Strickland ahead of his UFC 302 bout. Suddenly, Strickland discussed the policies of the UFC and the fighter compensation. He revealed the pay difference between the top brass and the fighters in the promotion.
The UFC doesn’t do the right things… if you go look at what these f**ks, the guys that run the UFC, what they’re making to what guys [fighters] get paid. It’s f***ing sh*t dude, the UFC does not do the f***ing right things.
Sean Strickland via Daniel Cormier YT
‘Tarzan’ didn’t mince words, painting the picture of the UFC leadership profiting off the blood, sweat, and violence provided by their underpaid employees. Strickland’s rant highlighted the growing resentment among UFC athletes about the financial divide separating them from the upper echelons.
Sean Strickland talks UFC fighter pay:
“The UFC doesn’t do the right things… if you go look at what these f**ks, the guys that run the UFC, what they’re making to what guys get paid.
It’s f***ing sh*t dude, the UFC does not do the f***ing right things.”
🎥 YT / @dc_mma… pic.twitter.com/vwEnyLB7Pu
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 30, 2024
The organization’s multi-billion dollar valuations and lucrative media rights deals have made modern-day prizefighting a massively lucrative industry for all. This is for all except the prize fighters themselves, as per Strickland. Nevertheless, Strickland has the middleweight title in his sight. As such, he needs to win his upcoming bout.
Strickland had earlier refused to fight Brazilian middleweight Paulo Costa on account of being underpaid. However, the UFC reached a favorable agreement with Strickland. The duo will now fight in the co-main event of UFC 302 this weekend.
Sean Strickland posts worrying update on Paulo Costa not signing UFC 302 contract
Sean Strickland’s microphone cut off while ranting about fighter pay
The interview with Daniel Cormier wasn’t the first time Sean Strickland criticized fighter pay. Earlier, he pulled back the curtain on the harsh realities of fighter pay. The always unfiltered Strickland held court during a UFC promotional appearance when the conversation turned unexpectedly transparent. The most intriguing part was that his microphone abruptly cut out during the rant.
Sean Strickland goes on a rant about fighter pay (via MMA Weekly)The conversation began with Strickland prodding UFC Hall of Famer Don Frye about his earnings during MMA’s no-holds-barred era. Soon, he quickly pivoted to shining a spotlight on the uphill battle most modern fighters face.
You spend your entire life working for this one goal. You get the blue check mark, you get the UFC in your logo…then you go 2-2, maybe they’re boring fights, and the UFC cuts you. You’ve made a total of $60,000 your entire career. Now you’re 24 years old saying ‘What do I do? Teach cardio kickboxing?’
Sean Strickland via Extra Rounds
But just as he launched into a searing rebuke of systemic inequality, technical difficulties intervened, and Strickland’s microphone died. It’s unclear if any actual censorship took place or if a simple technical fault was to blame. Nevertheless, the abrupt cutoff certainly created an air of awkwardness around Strickland’s working-class truth bomb.
