Sean Strickland's latest tweet exposes disturbing details on UFC fighter pay
Sean Strickland recently revealed that his advertisements and brand promotions make him more money than his early fights in the UFC. The 32-year-old American took to social media and shared some fascinating insight into his salary as a fighter signed to the world's most prominent MMA promotion.
Strickland is among the most well-known personalities in mixed martial arts, and the reigning UFC middleweight champion is notorious for speaking his mind without bothering about political correctness. Strickland made his promotional debut against Bubba McDaniel at UFC 171 in March 2014.
According to reports, Sean Strickland made $16,000 ($8000 to show + $8000 to win) on his UFC debut. While these numbers are close estimates, Strickland recently stated that he made more money making a promotional post for Roobet Casino, an online betting/gambling portal, than in his debut fight. Taking to X, he wrote:
"I did a post for Roobet, and it made me laugh because I made more money in a 60-second post than I did my first UFC fight, lmao."
It's no secret that UFC fighter pay is a much debated topic among MMA fans. While fighter compensation and athlete revenue share are a concern, the promotion has insisted that its pay structure is fair and based on valid metrics.
While Strickland made an estimated $16,000 in his debut, 'Tarzan' is a bonafide star today and reportedly made $532,000 after beating Israel Adesanya in their title fight at UFC 293.
Dricus Du Plessis confident about finishing Sean Strickland at UFC 297
Dricus Du Plessis recently weighed in on his upcoming middleweight title fight against Sean Strickland at UFC 297 in January. The pay-per-view event is set to take place at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
After Strickland's incredible title-winning performance against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293, many saw the 32-year-old American as a tough challenge for any championship contender. However, Du Plessis is confident about securing a knockout and hopes his finish will be better than Alex Pereira's at UFC 276.
In a recent interview with Submission Radio, 'Stillknocks' shared his thoughts on his upcoming fight and said:
"His defense is very weird, but it’s effective. I think he deflects shots beautifully, and I think irritating is a good style... I need to land one shot. If Pereira can knock him out, I can knock him out even better... Sean Strickland did what Sean Strickland does against Israel, and it worked for him... But I have my style of fighting."
Catch Du Plessis' comments below (22:30):