Probably the most outstanding UFC fighters of the present era, Sean Strickland, has now teased a surprising jump. Just days after his win over Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328, Strickland has suggested moving to Jake Paul’s MVP for a financial raise.
Strickland has once more brought up the difficulty of UFC fighter compensation, this time in response to Forbes’ 2026 rating of the highest 50 highest-earning athletes globally. Recently, Forbes released the list of the highest-paid athletes of 2026, where Cristiano Ronaldo topped the list with $235M, and Canelo Alvarez stood second with $160M. The list also had Jake Paul at number 13 with $60M.
Unlike a few of the top boxing, soccer, or F1 stars, no UFC athlete was a part of the list. Responding to the situation, Strickland suggested making a move to MVP, also often called Most Invaluable Promotions, a boxing and MMA production company founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian.
“I gotta leave the UFC and go beat up Jake Paul. That’s it. Cut my contract, UFC. It’s time for me to go away,” Strickland said during a livestream with Nina Drama last Saturday in May. 23, 2026.
Nonetheless, when Nina Drama identified that none of Paul’s opponents made it to the list, Strickland responded, “I’d make him pay me. But even when I make a fraction of that, I’d be making greater than the UFC is paying me. “I’d f***ing beat the s**t out of Jake Paul. Jake Paul lost against just about a reality star named Tommy [Fury]. He’s not an actual boxer.”
Strickland, 35, currently holds the UFC Middleweight Championship, and there aren’t any immediate plans for him to leap promotions.
Probably the most outstanding UFC fighters of the present era, Sean Strickland, has now teased a surprising jump. Just days after his win over Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328, Strickland has suggested moving to Jake Paul’s MVP for a financial raise. Strickland has once more brought up the difficulty of UFC fighter compensation, this time in response to Forbes’ 2026 rating of the highest 50 highest-earning athletes globally.