Paulo Costa says he has a fix for his money problems, and he wants Sean Strickland in on it. The Brazilian posted a message to the reigning middleweight champion on X early Thursday, tagging Strickland directly: “Strickland , I have an solution for us . I sent u a message. Inbox . @SStricklandMMA”
That’s the entire public pitch. Costa didn’t say what the solution is, and as of Thursday there was no sign Strickland had answered. Bloody Elbow, which first wrote up the post, noted that neither fighter appears ready to drop his campaign against the UFC’s pay structure.
The timing is easy to read. Strickland has been loud lately about compensation, and his absence from the UFC 335 lineup this December caught people off guard. A first title defense against Nassourdine Imavov had been rumored, and Strickland was available for it, but the fight hasn’t come together. Strickland has blamed the holdup on pay that he considers too low. In one post he hinted he’s “kinda over” fighting in the UFC because of what he’s being paid, and he floated a possible boxing match with Jake Paul.
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Costa’s situation is stranger, because on paper he should be in a strong spot. He moved up to light heavyweight and announced himself with a heavy knockout of Azamat Murzakanov, the kind of result that usually puts a guy on the shortlist for a title shot. Six months later, he’s publicly hammering both Hunter Campbell and Dana White. Costa has said he requested his release from the UFC after the promotion kept offering him five-round fights without any extra money attached.
That last complaint deserves more sympathy than it usually gets. A five-round fight is a different job than a three-round fight. The camp is longer, the conditioning work is harder, and the tactical plan changes, because you have to budget a gas tank for 25 minutes instead of 15. Asking for more money for more work is pretty standard in most professions. Whether the UFC sees it that way is another matter, and so far it apparently doesn’t.
The two men have shared a cage before, which makes the outreach a little funny. Former opponents rarely become business partners, but shared grievances can do strange things to people.
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My take: unless Costa’s inbox message contains a lawyer’s phone number or a promoter willing to write a check, this is a group chat, and group chats don’t renegotiate contracts. Strickland holds the real leverage here, because he owns a belt the UFC needs defended, and Imavov is sitting there waiting. Costa has the knockout and the grievance but no title. If Strickland gets paid and signs for Imavov, Costa’s solution for “us” quietly becomes a solution for one. I’d bet on that outcome well before I’d bet on a joint walkout, and I’d bet on it before Strickland ever laces up boxing gloves across from Jake Paul.
