Sean Strickland is stepping back into the octagon after a long suspension, scheduled to face Anthony Hernandez on February 21st. The bout has potential significance in the middleweight division, but Strickland is not focused on the title. When discussing the current champion Khamzat Chimaev, he sees inactivity and a champion holding the belt without competing.
“It’s kinda weird what the UFC did with Chimaev,” Strickland told ESPN MMA. “You brought a guy in that fights once a year who’s like Madonna, who gets like, how much money does that dictator give him under the table? Like, the guy doesn’t need to fight, dude. He’s best friends with a warlord. He doesn’t need to fight. Dude gets gifted G-Wagons.”
Critique Of The Belt-Holding
Strickland also called out the champion for avoiding opponents and waiting until fights are forced upon him.
“So you have somebody who is just gonna sit on a belt and wait and wait until they force him to fight. They wanted him to fight Nassourdine [Imavov], whatever the guy’s name is. He’s like, ‘Oh, I don’t wanna fight you, my brother.’ Like, what are you talking about? It’s not how the sport works, dude. Like, go fight that guy!”
Unlike Chimaev, Strickland has no interest in taking a slow path to a title fight, using ranking points or a single big win to manipulate opportunities.
Prioritizing Action Over Waiting
“The middleweight division, man, from a pure money perspective, you would make more money not fighting for the belt than you would fighting for the belt,” Strickland said. “Say Chimaev goes and fights Nassourdine in six months. Well, let’s say Chimaev sprains his pinky like he normally does. Now he takes another year off. So it’s like a year off, for two years.”
“It’s like, the belt isn’t even in my brain anymore. I don’t even think about it. I’ll make significantly more money just fighting. Whereas it’s sh–ty, but you wanna wait a year and a half and not fight? Or just keep fighting and fighting good guys and maybe taking an L? I’ll just go fight good guys, maybe take an L, and I’ll triple my pay.”
Staying Active Brings Rewards
Strickland explained that being active and taking fights consistently is far better than waiting for a title or for the champion to be available.
“We’re in here to make money and I’ll make significantly more money not fighting for a belt, or waiting for Chimaev’s pinky to feel better,” he said. “It’s like every time this guy fights he has a mysterious injury. Why wait?”
For Strickland, frequent competition against top fighters is more valuable than chasing a belt held by someone who rarely competes. His focus is on action, performance, and maintaining momentum while earning consistently.
