Dana White shut down Sean Strickland‘s push for a boxing match against Jai Opetaia. The UFC middleweight champion has been venting publicly for a week in a pay standoff with his own promotion.
White Closes the Door on an Opetaia Fight
Asked on Nina Drama’s stream during Power Slap 24 on October 9, Dana White addressed Sean Strickland’s interest in a boxing match against Jai Opetaia, the Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight champion. White called Strickland a tough guy with good hands. Pressed directly on whether Strickland could beat Opetaia in the ring, he gave a flat no. White then pointed toward Opetaia’s actual next move, saying there is a really good chance Opetaia fights Deontay Wilder, calling that matchup a great fight. Nothing is signed for Opetaia yet, but the comment signals Zuffa Boxing is keeping its champion on a straight professional path rather than entertaining a crossover bout with a UFC titleholder still under contract. It is not the first time White has waved off this kind of matchup. Back in March, at UFC London, he dismissed combat-sports crossover fights outright, saying they “suck.”
A Week of Public Frustration
The Opetaia callout extends a run that started on October 7, when Strickland posted on X that he was “kinda over it” unless things changed with the UFC. He compared his situation to Conor McGregor, who he said “makes 30 million to fight for 30 second,” while the promotion will not pay its own champions “a fraction of it.” He also floated moving up to light heavyweight to “speed run” his way out of his contract so he could fight Jake Paul. It is not the first time Strickland has made that threat; he raised the same Paul scenario back in May, when Paul was reportedly pulling in around $70 million from his boxing career. Strickland’s reference point for McGregor is UFC 329 in July, where McGregor fought Max Holloway and the bout ended in just 69 seconds due to a knee injury, with McGregor’s purse reported in the tens of millions regardless of the short runtime.
Imavov and Chimaev Drive Up the Price
The money fight traces back to stalled negotiations over Strickland’s first title defense. Nassourdine Imavov, who has wanted a title shot since Strickland dethroned Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328, moved to cut through rumors that Strickland had turned down a UFC 335 fight over pay. On October 4, Imavov posted on X that he would put $500,000 of his own money on the line if Strickland beat him in January, adding that if the champion refused, “then you’re just scared.” He also called on the UFC directly to strip Strickland of the title. The next day, Khamzat Chimaev piled on with his own offer, saying he would pay Strickland $1 million for a rematch and didn’t care whether it happened “inside the cage” or outside it, effectively doubling Imavov’s offer, and adding he would fight the winner of a Strickland-Imavov bout regardless. Strickland himself is reportedly seeking $1 million to face Imavov at a UFC 336 card floated for January 16, a figure the UFC has not agreed to pay as of now. With the 2026 numbered-event schedule already full, any such fight would have to wait until 2027 at the earliest.
The UFC Has Already Moved On for December
While the dispute drags on, the UFC has booked Charles Oliveira against Diego Lopes for the BMF title atop UFC 335 in Las Vegas this December. Jake Paul himself replied to Strickland on X, asking whether he was actually out of his UFC contract, to which Strickland said he was surprised Paul would seriously consider the fight. The promotion has not confirmed any release for Strickland to compete outside the UFC, and no timeline has been given for when the two sides might sit back down to talk pay.
The Bottom Line
Dana White closed the door on a Strickland-Opetaia boxing match while confirming Opetaia could be headed toward a fight with Deontay Wilder. Strickland’s pay standoff with the UFC remains unresolved despite Nassourdine Imavov’s $500,000 personal offer, and it is directly holding up a middleweight title fight against the Frenchman. The coming weeks should show whether the promotion and its champion find common ground before UFC 335.
