Dana White says Strickland signed a new UFC deal in May, calls pay claim 'not true'

UFC president Dana White said on Tuesday, October 13, that middleweight champion Sean Strickland signed a new contract in May. He also said the pay number in circulation is false. White was speaking at the press conference after the Contender Series Season 10 finale, as Sherdog reported.

"Sean Strickland just signed a new contract in May," White said. On the money, he added: "The number that he claimed he made is not true."

It was White's first public answer in the dispute, which has left the title without a booked defence. He said he hasn't spoken to Strickland and has "just heard through social media" about the complaints, according to MMA Junkie.

What White did and didn't say

White gave no figure of his own and didn't say which number he meant, as Lowkick noted. The most-quoted numbers were a $400,000-to-show, $400,000-to-win deal and a $1 million ask. MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn said on his Bohnfire podcast last week that an X user made both up (MMA Sucka). Strickland hasn't confirmed either.

Bohn also reported that the new deal covers six fights and was signed before UFC 328. He said Strickland was already paid more than $1 million for the Khamzat Chimaev fight. Neither the UFC nor Strickland has confirmed those terms.

White's argument was about timing. "He got a whole new deal in May. It is what it is," he told reporters. He didn't say whether the UFC would renegotiate.

How it got here

Strickland won the belt back at UFC 328 on May 9 in Newark, beating Chimaev by split decision (Wikipedia). A rematch with Imavov was expected next. On September 27 he posted that pay was the last detail to settle (GiveMeSport).

On October 7 he wrote on X that "unless things change with the UFC Im kinda over it" (NY Fights). He set his pay against Conor McGregor's reported $30 million and floated moving up to 205 pounds to see out his contract.

That day he and Imavov also had a confrontation at the UFC Performance Institute that security broke up, NY Fights reported. On October 9 he posted that he "will not fight or sign any contract until I get this figured out" (Yahoo). UFC 335 on December 12 in Las Vegas is now headlined by Charles Oliveira vs Diego Lopes for the BMF title.

The fight that's waiting

Strickland is 31-7, 18-7 in the UFC, and has won his last two (our page). Both of his title wins came as an underdog: +460 against Israel Adesanya in 2023 and +375 against Chimaev. Backing him at the closing price in his 15 UFC fights with odds since 2020 would have returned 11.27 units. That's a historical record, not a forecast.

Imavov (17-4) has won five straight, including a second-round knockout of Adesanya in February 2025 as a +132 underdog (our page). He hasn't fought since beating Caio Borralho in September 2025. Strickland beat him by unanimous decision in January 2023, closing at +115. He took that fight on short notice, at light heavyweight (Wikipedia).

Imavov has proposed January and offered $500,000 of his own money if Strickland beats him. He has also called for the UFC to strip the champion (Boxing News). No date or card has been announced, so there are no odds on a rematch yet.

What comes next

The obvious comparison is Francis Ngannou, stripped and released in January 2023 (Wikipedia). But his contract had already run out. Strickland, going by Bohn's reporting, has about five fights left on a deal he signed five months ago.

We think White's answer makes a quick fix less likely. He treated the May contract as settled and offered nothing about reopening it, while Strickland says he won't sign anything until pay is sorted.

The UFC hasn't said whether it would strip Strickland or set up an interim title. He hadn't responded to White as of Wednesday.