Sean Strickland is ready to ride out his UFC contract and leave MMA’s premier promotion for good. The UFC middleweight champion took to social media on Wednesday night to express his dissatisfaction over fighter pay in a lengthy tirade.Strickland is willing to give up his belt unless he is paid what he feels he is worthGettyFighter salaries have been a point of contention for many athletes over the years.New signings typically earn between $10,000 and $30,000 a fight, while some champions never touch seven figures.In 2024, the UFC settled an antitrust lawsuit for $375million, where 1,067 fighters were compensated for being underpaid from 2010 to 2017.The money does still rise to the top, however, with Conor McGregor reportedly pocketing $30m for his doomed comeback fight against Max Holloway in July.Strickland pointed to McGregor’s reported purse as he threatened to vacate his world title and pursue a boxing bout with Jake Paul.“I gotta be honest, unless things change with the UFC, I’m kinda over it,” wrote Strickland on X, formerly Twitter.“McGregor makes 30 million to fight for 30 seconds, and they don’t want to pay us a fraction of it. “Contemplating just going to 205[lbs], knocking out my contract and scrapping with Jake Paul. That sounds fun.”Paul was quick to respond to the post, writing: “Sean Strickland, I see your texts, but are you out of contract? Tell your ‘promoter’ to call MVP.”Strickland replied: “I haven’t decided if I want to nuke my contract, but I gotta say man putting hands on you sounds way better than the UFC right now.”Strickland is considering fighting out his contract before meeting Paul in the squared circleGettyAfter several more posts, Strickland concluded: “Y’all, I think I’m just frustrated because my body is crashing because MMA training is brutal. “My heart just isn’t in MMA anymore. Groin tear, AC joint separation. “I just don’t think my heart is in MMA anymore. Boxing there is more money, and it’s significantly easier.”Strickland reclaimed the middleweight title in June by beating Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328.Last month, he revealed that his first title defence against Nassourdine Imavov was close to being finalised, but that discussions had stalled over his proposed purse. The rematch was initially discussed for UFC 335, but it now looks more likely to happen next year, if at all. Growing tired of waiting for his shot, Imavov tracked down Strickland at the UFC Performance Institute and confronted him.Strickland reiterated that money was the issue, while Imavov had to be held back by security as his emotions boiled over.Watch Boxing on DAZN*If you click a link in this boxout, we will earn affiliate revenueSign up to DAZN to access the definitive subscription for boxing fans.Upgrade to DAZN Ultimate from just £24.99/month, guaranteeing access to 185+ fights annually, a minimum of 12 pay-per-views at no extra cost, as well as every Lega Serie A match and other elite football access.Alternatively, DAZN Standard is just £15.99/month, with the caveat you will have to pay for pay-per-view events.Click here to sign up.