UFC fighters aren't paid enough to retire, says Strickland

Sean Strickland says UFC fighters are not paid enough money to retire from the sport on their own terms. The 35-year-old middleweight champion criticised the promotion earlier this week, saying his "heart isn't in MMA anymore" after injuries to his groin and shoulder. Strickland added he would prefer a move to boxing, citing the sport as "significantly easier" with "more money" to be made, before calling for a fight with Jake Paul. Following up his comments in a post on Instagram, the American says fighters are ruining their legacies by having to fight on for money instead of walking away from the UFC. "I'm going to say the quiet part out loud that nobody says.

You watch these champions, they run the division and they take [a loss], and then they come back and they fight three or four times and get flatlined," said Strickland. "You're like, 'dude, what happened to you?' And you realise the UFC happened. They just don't care anymore. "They don't pay you enough money to walk away. The UFC builds a legacy and they don't pay you enough. So you have to come back and ruin your legacy. I don't want to do that." Fighter pay has been questioned by athletes and the media this year after boxer Conor Benn signed a reported £11m one-fight