Sean Strickland, Mike Perry Trade Barbs Over BKFC Fighter Pay

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Sean Strickland and Mike Perry recently engaged in a dispute regarding fighter pay in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

Strickland was asked about a potential career in the BKFC leading up to his UFC 302 clash against Paulo Costa on June 1. Strickland completely dismissed the idea.

“Oh f—k, how much will I fight f—ing bareknuckle for? Nothing they would pay me…They’re paying their guys shit… Breaking their hands, breaking their orbitals, they’re making a couple thousand bucks,” Strickland said.

Perry, who lost $50,000 by betting on Costa, later took a shot at the former UFC middleweight champ. Perry believes Strickland shouldn’t be talking about fighter pay, as he is probably making much less in the UFC than “Platinum” is in BKFC.

“Sean Strickland, he’s fighting for the UFC for pesos and I’m getting paid over here,” Perry said on the Overdogs podcast. “He’s always posting videos on Instagram where he walks outside of his garage or his front door and somebody is in his driveway. And he’s like trying to fight them bare knuckle for free right there. So, what are you talking about Sean?”

Perry signed with the BKFC after parting ways with the UFC in 2021 on the back of a two-fight slump. He has since racked up a five-fight winning streak to rise to the status of the biggest star in the promotion. However, Strickland notes that while Perry might be making more than most UFC fighters, such is not the case with the rest of the BKFC roster. Also not shy to question UFC fighter pay, Strickland urged Perry to speak out for the welfare of the entire roster.

“UFC pay is utter garbage lol [They’re] signing guys at 10/10 that should be criminal... but the vast majority of BKFC fighters are getting paid way less than that..... As a UFC fighter I advocate for better pay for me and the entire roster...... You should do the same for your guys,” Strickland commented on an Instagram post.

“While I'm on my soap box from a poor man who became kinda a rich man, once you have capital it just snow balls. These elites could probably never take a paycheck again and easily make 500k a year.... yet they still line their bank accounts with millions that they will never need or spend. In all industries.”

Sean Strickland fires back at Mike Perry and advocates for better fighter pay:

"UFC pay is utter garbage lol they're signing guys at 10K/10K that should be criminal... but the vast majority of BKFC fighters are getting paid way less than that...

As a UFC fighter I advocate for… pic.twitter.com/TxATq4gUHM

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 11, 2024

The California State Athletic Commission recently revealed fighter salaries for BKFC Knucklemania 4 in Los Angeles on April 28 and UFC 298 in Anaheim on Feb. 17 Mike Perry made $600,000 for his first round KO of Thiago Alves, who made $200,000. Meanwhile, UFC 298 headliner Alexander Volkanovksi made $750,000 for putting his featherweight title on the line against Ilia Topuria, who made $350,000. The stark contrast however becomes evident on the lowest rung of the card, with Brendson Rebeiro making $10,000 in the UFC and Sydney Smith making $500 in the BKFC.