Despite the recent settling of an anti-trust lawsuit brought against the UFC, former middleweight champion, Sean Strickland has echoed displeasure with fighter pay within the promotion, claiming the promotion – whom he described as “leeches” do not do the “right thing” with the majority of fighters on their roster.
Strickland, a former undisputed middleweight champion, makes his return this weekend in the co-main event of UFC 302, fighting for the first time since he lost the title to Dricus du Plessis back in January of this year in a close decision defeat in Canada.
Returning in search of a potential route back to a championship charge, outspoken contender, Strickland takes on former title challenger, Paulo Costa – with the pair sharing a distinct rivalry atop the middleweight pile.
Sean Strickland rips UFC over fighter pay issue
And first voicing his dissatisfaction with the new design of fight gloves which will be donned for the first time this weekend at UFC 302 in New Jersey, Strickland has now hit out at promotional brass and executives in the organization for “leeching” and not putting fighters livelihoods first.
“Sometimes you gotta get ready to f*cking throw away your entire career if you don’t get your sh*t, you know,” Sean Strickland told Daniel Cormier during an interview. “It’s just doing the f*cking right things, man. Like, the UFC doesn’t do the right things. It doesn’t f*cking do the right things. It doesn’t do the right things with most of their roster.”
“Like, if you go look at what these guys that run [the UFC], you see what they’re making to what [fighters] are get paid, it’s f*cking sh*t, dude,” Sean Strickland explained. “The UFC does not do the f*cking right things. And unless you hold them at f*cking gunpoint, they ain’t gonna f*cking do it.”
What are your thoughts on Sean Strickland’s comments on the UFC?