UFC Hall of Famer Demetrious Johnson shared his thoughts on the pay dispute between UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland and the UFC.
Strickland is still under a UFC contract, reportedly for five more fights, but he is refusing to sign a contract for his next fight because he believes he is underpaid, and he has threatened to go to boxing, where he would presumably make more money.
Most fighters seem to be on Strickland’s side when it comes to getting more pay, and understandably so, though Johnson has a different take on it, since in his view, Strickland signed the deal and should abide by the terms of it.
Demetrious Johnson Reacts to Sean Strickland Pay Issue
Johnson, one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, shared his take on Strickland’s rivalry with the UFC in a new interview on “The Ariel Helwani Show.”
“When is enough, enough? There has to come a point in time. Do I wish I made more money? One thousand percent, but I’m not going to gripe and moan about it. What’s done is done, and you move forward. When you see athletes sign for a nine-fight deal, if he’s happy with it, I have to be happy with his decision. But at the end of the day, it’s Sean Strickland’s journey and career. If he’s not happy with it, then I have to respect that he’s unhappy with it. Doesn’t mean I have to agree with it,” Johnson said (via BJPenn.com).
“I would just like him to do it how he wants to do it. But I think if he just comes out and says, ‘This is what I want; the UFC isn’t going to give it to me, so I’m going to move to boxing,’ then he can just walk away. You’re given options – he signed a contract, five fights left, maybe he didn’t think he was going to (beat Khamzat Chimaev), and he’s stuck in this position where he’s not going to make the type of money he thought he would make.”
Will Sean Strickland Fight in the UFC Again?
If you ask the majority of MMA fans, they would love to see Strickland come to an agreement with the UFC on a new contract, because he is a fantastic fighter who would be better served being active inside the Octagon, as he’s a fan favorite who has been involved with some great fights over the years.
That being said, most fans also want to see him happy with his pay and therefore support him in his quest to get a pay bump from the UFC, using boxing as a threat to maybe get out of his UFC contract.
We’ll have to wait and see what happens with Strickland and the UFC, but the hope is that cooler heads can prevail in this situation and the UFC middleweight champion can get back into the Octagon soon, as he’s a terrific fighter who is known for entertaining the masses inside the cage.
Demetrious Johnson Reacts to Sean Strickland & UFC Pay Dispute