Sean
Strickland claims he isn’t earning even a fraction of what
Jake
Paul earns.
Paul entered the Forbes’ list of highest paid athletes for 2026.
“The Problem Child” is ranked 23rd on the list with a total
earnings of $70 million. When Strickland heard the news, the
UFC middleweight champion joked about terminating his contract
with the promotion to go fight Paul. Strickland claims even a
fraction of Paul’s earnings is more than he is earning in the UFC.
Strickland is absolutely confident that he would school Paul if
they met in the squared circle.
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“I gotta leave the UFC and go beat up Jake Paul. That’s it,”
Strickland told Nina Marie-Daniele at a recent MMA event. “Leave my
contract with the UFC. It’s time for me to leave. If I made even a
fraction of that I would be making more than the UFC is paying me.
I would beat the s—t out of Jake Paul.”
Rare Air for MMA Athletes
The only other combat sports athlete to make it to the list is
Saul
Alvarez, who took the second position with a total earnings of
$170 million. Meanwhile, Conor
McGregor is the only MMA fighter who ever made to the Forbes’
list of highest paid athletes, first due to his boxing bout against
Floyd
Mayweather, and then due to the profits from his sale of
majority shares in Proper No.12 whiskey.
Meanwhile, Paul initially started his boxing career against fellow
social media influencers. Paul became a popular name in combat
sports by fighting MMA fighters. The 29-year-old has since
progressed to fighting boxers like Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar
Chavez Jr. Paul most recently fought his toughest competition in
former heavyweight champion Anthony
Joshua, who stopped him in the sixth round.