Sean Strickland recently took to Instagram to voice his frustration with the UFC’s pay structure. In doing so, he also called out Jake Paul and Jai Opetaia for a boxing match. Amid Strickland considering a move into boxing, Dana White has finally shared his thoughts.

White made his usual appearance on Nina Drama’s stream during Power Slap 24: Muniz vs. Hintz on October 9 and clarified whether Strickland’s callout of Zuffa Boxing and WBC cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia could lead to a fight.

“Listen, I don’t think it ever goes well crossing over from boxing to MMA, but Strickland is a tough guy, you know, and has hands,” the UFC CEO said on the stream.

White’s suggestion that Strickland has “hands” left Nina a little confused. So, she asked once again whether there was a chance, prompting the head honcho to finally give a definitive answer.

“No,” Dana White said about Strickland vs. Opetaia.

It’s hardly surprising that Dana White isn’t entertaining the idea of Strickland crossing over to face Jai Opetaia in a boxing match.

The 57-year-old mogul previously served as a co-promoter of the Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather boxing match in 2017, which generated approximately $55.4 million in gate revenue. But since then, White has been reluctant to let fighters from his promotion cross over to boxing.

While addressing the possibility of UFC fighters such as Alex Pereira, Sean O’Malley, and Ilia Topuria bridging over to the boxing ring, Dana White has completely turned down the idea.

“No way in hell,” White said at the UFC London post-fight press conference in March. “The crossover fights suck…That’s not what we do. It’s just not what we do.”

That’s not all. Ahead of the Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez boxing spectacle last year, White argued that boxers would get “murdered” by MMA fighters in the Octagon and vice versa on the Club 520 podcast.

All these instances show that the UFC CEO has completely lost interest in the prospect of a UFC fighter facing a prominent boxer. However, the UFC boss revealed another potential fight for Opetaia.

“There’s a really good chance that Jai Opetaia fights Deontay Wilder,” White added on Nina Drama’s stream. “There’s a really good chance of that. That would be a great fight.”

According to various reports, a potential showdown between Jai Opetaia and Deontay Wilder is being targeted for the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury in Cardiff, scheduled for December 11. However, nothing appears to be set in stone as of now.

Meanwhile, the situation is getting murkier, as the middleweight champion continues to speak out about his pay dispute with the promotion.

Sean Strickland declares he won’t fight unless UFC improves his current contract

Sean Strickland’s pay dispute with the UFC has taken a fresh and surprising turn. The UFC middleweight champion has been complaining about the promotion not meeting his financial demands for his next title defense. He voiced his disdain on X through a series of fiery posts.

Though the exact details of Strickland’s negotiation with the promotion remain unclear, a social media post claimed that ‘Tarzan’ asked for $1 million to fight Nassourdine Imavov at UFC 335 in December. However, the UFC reportedly offered him only $400k to show and $400k to win.

The Nevada-based fighter neither confirmed nor refuted those claims, but a prominent reporter has since provided some clarity on the condition of Strickland’s contract.

MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn confirmed that the rumors of Strickland receiving that amount are false and that he earned $1 million to fight Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328 under a 6-fight contract. Bohn did not appear to reveal the actual figure, but his comments suggest that Strickland could be demanding a bigger payday, which the promotion has failed to meet.

Perhaps this is the reason why the UFC was forced to book Charles Oliveira vs. Diego Lopes as the headliner of UFC 335. With the turmoil still ongoing, Sean Strickland has made it clear he will not fight under the current contract unless it is improved.

“Will not fight or sign any contract until I get this figured out,” Strickland wrote on X. “Hopefully we get it figured out soon. Thanks for all your support it helps! 👊”

As it turns out, Strickland is still negotiating with the UFC and pushing for a raise. Hopefully the two sides settle their differences and ‘Tarzan’ puts his belt on the line in early 2027.