Sean Strickland Says Money Killed His UFC 335 Title Defense
Strickland was ready to defend the middleweight belt at UFC 335, but a pay dispute ended negotiations.
Sean Strickland was available and willing to defend his middleweight title at UFC 335 on December 12 in Las Vegas, but the fight never materialized. Sources told MMA Mania that Strickland was ready to go against Nassourdine Imavov for the headliner, only for negotiations to collapse.
The holdup was money. When an Instagram commenter suggested the fight fell apart over pay, Strickland replied with a single word: "Bingo." The champion has made no secret of wanting bigger paydays, especially after earning his career-high purse against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328 earlier this year. Taking a step down to fight Imavov, a dangerous contender with less drawing power, apparently did not add up.
With the middleweight title fight off the table, the UFC pivoted to a BMF title bout between Charles Oliveira and Diego Lopes as the UFC 335 main event. That matchup was announced earlier this week alongside a heavyweight co-main between Alex Pereira and Sergei Pavlovich.
Strickland has not fought since defending his belt against Chimaev and has not indicated when he expects to return. The middleweight division stays frozen while the champion and the promotion sort out the economics. Imavov, meanwhile, is left without a dance partner after preparing for the biggest fight of his career.
I respect Sean Strickland for a lot of things, but "Bingo" might be the most honest thing he has ever said. The man survived flipping an ATV at 60 miles an hour, walked away fine, and was ready to fight. The UFC wanted to pay him Imavov money after he just headlined against Chimaev. That is insulting.
But here is the other side. You are the middleweight champion. The division needs you active. Guys like Imavov, Robert Whittaker, and Dricus du Plessis are all circling, and every month the belt sits on the shelf, it loses a little shine. You cannot complain about the UFC not promoting you and then turn down the main event of a numbered card.
I get wanting to be paid fairly. I just hope this gets resolved before we are looking at a year of inactivity. The middleweight title deserves better than a staring contest between Strickland and the UFC accountants.
