Strickland may relinquish UFC title and move up a division

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland says he could relinquish his title if his relationship with the promotion does not change. The American fighter said he is considering moving up to light heavyweight and completing the remaining bouts on his contract.

In a post on X, Strickland wrote that Conor McGregor earned $30 million for a 30-second fight, while other athletes were not paid even a small fraction of that amount. He said the situation was wearing him down and that nothing had changed in his relationship with the UFC.

Strickland also raised the possibility of moving to the 205-pound division to finish his contract and then fighting Jake Paul. He described that option as entertaining.

In his most recent fight, Strickland defeated Khamzat Chimaev, handing his opponent the first loss of his career and taking the UFC middleweight title from him.

The UFC organizes bouts across multiple weight divisions, with fighters generally competing within set weight limits. Moving from middleweight to light heavyweight would place Strickland in a higher division, where the limit is 205 pounds.