Sean Strickland claims he was strong-armed into new UFC deal amid fresh contract talks

Sean Strickland has told fans that he felt he wouldn’t get a shot at reclaiming the UFC title if he didn’t sign a new, less than favorable, contract.

Strickland defied the odds back in May when he became the first man to defeat Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC 328. It meant that he reclaimed the belt that he lost to Dricus Du Plessis two years prior, and it looked as though he would defend in December against Nassourdine Imavov.

It came as a surprise, then, when Charles Oliveira vs Diego Lopes for the BMF title was given top billing at UFC 335 in his adopted home of Las Vegas. Strickland has not been shy about the fight stalling over money, and even admitted he is considering ending his career due to falling out of love with the sport.

• BAD NEWS: Sean Strickland warned that dispute with UFC ‘never works out’ despite him having some advantages

Sean Strickland tells fans more about contract talks

One thing that makes Sean Strickland so popular with fans is his engagement with them online and in-person. At times, he may even go too far with his honesty as he gets into politics, culture and in this case even his own finances.

He has been opening up about the difficulties he is facing with the UFC recently, leading one social media user to ask him “Why did you sign the contract if it was too low?” Strickland replied that “The UFC doesn’t work like that…”

There appears to be little doubt that the UFC have most of the power in negotiations even with top names on their roster. Strickland then gave further details to another fan, implying that he wouldn’t have got his title shot if he had attempted to negotiate prior to the Chimaev fight.

When a fan joked that he was acting like he ‘had a gun to his head’, Strickland replied that the UFC told him to “Sign this or we wont do this.” He then added: “Lol they act like you have any power in this sport.”