Sean Strickland reacts to Jake Paul entering Forbes’ list of highest paid athletes

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has reacted with sardonic frustration to news that Jake Paul has landed on Forbes' list of highest-paid athletes for 2026. The social media personality and boxer ranked 23rd globally with reported earnings of $70 million—a figure that dwarfs Strickland's UFC compensation. Speaking at a recent MMA event, Strickland joked that he should terminate his UFC contract and pursue Paul instead, claiming that even a fraction of Paul's annual haul exceeds his own earnings from the promotion. The comment underscores the stark financial disparity between mainstream combat sports celebrities and even elite UFC fighters. Strickland, who holds the middleweight title, expressed complete confidence that he would decisively beat Paul in a fight. His remarks highlight a long-standing grievance among UFC athletes about fighter pay relative to the promotion's revenues and the outsized earnings available to celebrities who compete in combat sports on an irregular basis. While Strickland was clearly joking about leaving the UFC, his comments reflect genuine frustration shared across the fighter roster about compensation structures in professional MMA.