Sean Strickland has been involved in controversy multiple times. Strickland’s belief system, rooted in conservatism, misogyny, and homophobia, has clashed with the mainstream media, but he still enjoys support from a significant section of fans in the UFC community.
Recently, Strickland engaged in a brutal sparring session with influencer Sneako at the UFC PI, resulting in Sneako’s face being bloodied. The incident caught the attention of crossover boxer Jake Paul, who challenged Strickland to a fight with a $1 million payday if he wins. However, Strickland declined the challenge, citing legal reasons, which you will read below.
Why didn’t Sean Strickland accept Jake Paul’s fight offer?
Sean Strickland revealed via his YouTube channel why he did not take up Jake Paul’s $1 million offer. “If you look at how many fights he sells, he doesn’t sell. He doesn’t make money, he doesn’t sell tickets, he doesn’t do that well…His audience are children; my audience are usually 18 to grown men…These children aren’t going to buy a pay-per-view fight,” Strickland revealed Paul’s inability to sell fights as the main reason for not accepting the challenge.
Sean Strickland says the UFC won’t let him fight Jake Paul because he doesn’t sell PPVs but he’ll fight him for free off camera 😬 pic.twitter.com/hnNmq6f9jX
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) February 12, 2024
The former UFC middleweight champion also revealed the conversation he had with UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell about the possibility of the fight. “Hunter explained to me that he sells no fights, that when they have fights, they give away tickets, that he doesn’t make money, that his target audience is children, and they don’t buy pay-per-views,” Strickland said of their conversation
“Get some adults to follow you, and then we will fight,” Sean advised Jake Paul of what to do so that they could eventually fight in the future.” I’ll do it for free. I don’t need a check. I don’t need to live stream it. I will do it for free, sir,” Strickland nonetheless added his interest to fight Paul for free.
Exploring reasons why UFC doesn’t allow fighters to box
The UFC’s decision to prohibit their fighters from competing in the boxing ring is primarily attributed to Conor McGregor. Despite the UFC receiving 25% of the proceeds from McGregor’s fight with Floyd Mayweather, it served as a blueprint for the UFC to avoid similar ventures.
The spectacle brought the issue of fighter pay to the forefront, as McGregor earned significantly more in the boxing match with Mayweather than in all of his UFC fights combined. This has made other fighters like Kamaru Usman, Francis Ngannou, and Sean O’Malley to explore McGregor’s path, but the UFC disallowed it, leading Ngannou to leave the UFC and sign with the PFL. Ngannou would later make his professional boxing debut against Tyson Fury.
The UFC and Dana White also fear the fighter’s star power overshadowing that of the brand. In McGregor’s case, he became more popular than the UFC, leading the promotion to tolerate various antics from the Irishman. Another reason for the UFC’s apprehension is the negative track record UFC fighters have in competing elsewhere. Dana White allowed Chuck Liddell to fight at Pride, only to see him lose the bout.
Do you think Sean Strickland should fight with Jake Paul? Leave your thoughts below!
