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Sean Strickland warns young fighters about the reality of UFC life

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2 months ago

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Sean Strickland warns young fighters about the reality of UFC life
Sean
Strickland has slammed fighter compensation in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Strickland recently detailed the financial plight of newly signed
UFC fighters. The outspoken reigning middleweight champion also hit
out at a UFC matchmaker and some of the promotion's practices that
have rubbed him the wrong way.

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland says aspiring
fighters should understand the financial challenges of MMA

During a recent appearance on the “Shawn Ryan Show,†Strickland
offered a blunt assessment of the life of the average UFC athlete,
arguing that entry-level contracts and the financial realities of
competing in the Octagon leave many fighters struggling to make
ends meet despite reaching MMA's biggest stage.

“When you're a fighter, you're so f*cking poor,†Strickland said.
“Even in the UFC. UFC guys, they're signing guys at like, 10 and
10, [$10,000] to show, [$10,000] to win, $20 grand. So, then you
pay off your manager, you pay taxes; if you lose, you only get like
eight, seven grand.â€

According to Strickland, the financial challenges become even more
severe when injuries or inactivity enter the equation. While he
acknowledged that the UFC provides life-changing opportunities for
many international fighters, he described the promotion's pay
structure as “predatory,†particularly for athletes based in the
United States.

Strickland also criticized the UFC's matchmaking process, claiming
fighters often feel pressured to accept short-notice bouts because
declining them can lead to lengthy layoffs. He then singled out
longtime UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby, saying fighters often fear
turning down opportunities because of the possibility of being
sidelined for months.

“This guy [Shelby] is so f*cking brutal,†Strickland added. “You
could have a boring fight or something, and this mother*cker will
bench you for like eight months. Or you could say, ‘Hey Sean, I
want a fight.' He'll call you two weeks out from a fight… And if
you say no, he'll bench your ass. Yeah, the UFC is f*cking
brutal.â€

Strickland even suggested he'd discourage aspiring fighters from
pursuing a UFC career, though he stopped short of dismissing the
opportunities the organization has provided him. Despite his
criticism, Strickland acknowledged the opportunities the UFC has
provided.

“As much as I hate the UFC and I knock on them, they give people
opportunity you'd never have,†Strickland concluded. “I'd never
have opportunity.â€

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MMA

Dana White baffled by Max Kellerman’s Fury-Joshua claim

Published

1 hour ago

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September 28, 2026

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Dana White baffled by Max Kellerman’s Fury-Joshua claim
Dana
White was left bemused by Max Kellerman's explanation of his
role in the Tyson
Fury-Anthony
Joshua saga.

Fury and Joshua are scheduled to meet Dec. 11 at Principality
Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, with the bout set to stream on Netflix.
The matchup was announced by the streaming juggernaut as a
collaboration between Turki Alalshikh and White's Zuffa Boxing.
However, Joshua's camp and Eddie Hearn seemingly aren't on
board.

Dana White disputes Max Kellerman's description of his role in
Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua

Kellerman claimed during the Zuffa Boxing 11 broadcast that White's
involvement isn't as a promoter but rather in an assisting role to
Alalshikh.

“Dana White's involvement in the fight, so people know, is purely
in assisting Turki Alalshikh, who has been the engine behind just
about every big fight in boxing over the last handful of years,â€
Kellerman said. “He's assisting Turki in a personal capacity, not
as a promoter.â€

White was subsequently asked about Kellerman's comments, and the

Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO revealed that he had no idea
what the analyst-commentator was talking about.

“I don't know where that came from,†White said. “That was weird.
We're promoting the fight right now. I've said 150,000 times I
don't know if I've ever known anybody who's more full of f*cking
shit than Eddie Hearn.â€

Hearn has previously emphasized that White should not be involved
in the fight, while Netflix's announcement identified the UFC boss
as a key part of the event. A press conference for Fury-Joshua is
expected to take place Wednesday, Sept. 30, although White wasn't
forthcoming about whether he plans to attend.

“I guess I'll leave that as a surprise,†White said.

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MMA

Sean Strickland says Nassourdine Imavov rematch is ‘almost there’

Published

3 hours ago

on

September 28, 2026

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Sean Strickland says Nassourdine Imavov rematch is ‘almost there’
Sean
Strickland says a rematch is close to being finalized with
Nassourdine
Imavov.

Rumors have been circulating about the next
Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title fight, with
Strickland and Imavov potentially set to run it back. With the
UFC's annual December numbered event in Las Vegas still without a
headliner, Strickland claims that the finer details are being
ironed out before the bout can be confirmed.

Strickland says pay talks are the final hurdle before the
Imavov rematch is locked in

According to the two-time champion, the two sides are discussing
pay before the booking becomes official for UFC 335.
Strickland also took a dig at Imavov, suggesting that the Frenchman
isn't a major draw.

“We’re discussing pay now,†Strickland wrote on X. “Once that
detail is squared its locked in. The issue is no one cares about
the fake Frenchman. We’re almost there.â€

Strickland defeated Khamzat
Chimaev in a major upset to win the middleweight title for the
second time this past June. Imavov, whose most recent loss came
against Strickland in 2023, has since mounted a five-fight winning
streak against elite opposition, including victories over Caio
Borralho and Israel
Adesanya in UFC Fight Night headliners.

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MMA

UFC fighter calls rival a ‘clown’ after illegal knee ends ‘TUF 34’ final

Published

4 hours ago

on

September 28, 2026

By

UFC fighter calls rival a ‘clown’ after illegal knee ends ‘TUF 34’ final
Mehemmedali
Osmanli's feud with Ilimbek
Akylbek Uulu remains unresolved.

Osmanli and Akylbek Uulu clashed in the bantamweight final of “The
Ultimate Fighter 34†on Sept. 26 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Bad
blood developed from their time on Michael
Bisping's team at the “TUF†house, which came to a head at

UFC Vegas 121. Osmanli landed an illegal knee and Akylbek Uulu
was declared the winner via disqualification.

Mehemmedali Osmanli accuses Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu of
exaggerating the effects of his illegal knee

Osmanli landed a knee on a grounded Akylbek Uulu less than halfway
through the first round. Akylbek Uulu couldn't continue, resulting
in Osmanli's disqualification. However, Osmanli has now accused his
opponent of exaggerating the effects of the illegal strike.

Osmanli claims Akylbek Uulu initially grabbed his leg after getting
kneed and believes the Kyrgyz fighter only began exaggerating his
reaction as soon as the referee stepped in.

“He's fake,†Osmanli said on Instagram Live. “First, he take my
leg. When referee stopped, he [put on a] show, like a clown.â€

The loss was the second of Osmanli's professional career and
snapped a nine-fight unbeaten streak.


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