Jhonata Diniz fires back at Strickland, Costa over UFC pay
The only Brazilian at UFC Edmonton says fighters who complain about pay should go back to smaller promotions
Jhonata Diniz, the only Brazilian on the UFC Edmonton card, fired back at Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa over their complaints about UFC pay. In an interview with Brazilian outlet Lance! published Thursday, the heavyweight said “the UFC pays very well, very well.” He faces Canada’s Tanner Boser on Saturday, Oct. 17, in Edmonton.
What Diniz said to Strickland and Costa
Diniz named both fighters and did not hold back. “Sean Strickland, Borrachinha, etc. Because, man, fine, they leave the UFC, and then what are they going to do with their lives?” he said, using Costa’s Brazilian nickname. His quotes were translated from Portuguese.
He then pointed them to the exit. “So, fine, brother, go back to fighting in Brazil. Go fight in the small promotions, go fight in LFA,” he said, referring to the American promotion that sends many fighters to the UFC.
Defending the UFC does not mean he lacks ambition. “I want to make 10, 20, 30, 50 million dollars per fight,” he said. For him, the path runs through performance: “The more you deliver, the more you sell, the more you earn.”
Strickland and Costa’s pay complaints
Middleweight champion Strickland started the debate last week. On Oct. 7, he wrote on X: “unless things change with the UFC I’m kinda over it.” He also pointed to Conor McGregor: “McGregor makes 30 million to fight for 30 second and they don’t want to pay us a fraction of it.”
Strickland said he is considering vacating his belt, moving up to light heavyweight to finish his contract and then boxing Jake Paul. A title defense against Nassourdine Imavov, which had been in the works, stalled over his purse.
Costa is in a similar fight. With one bout left on his contract, the Brazilian has complained about being offered five-round fights at his three-round pay. “I’m not going to take 5 rounds for the price of 3. That would be stupid,” he wrote on X in September. On Oct. 8, he publicly told Strickland he had “a solution” for both of them, without saying what it was.
The two rivals have already met in the Octagon: Strickland beat Costa by split decision at UFC 302 in 2024.
Why Diniz left kickboxing for MMA
Diniz’s view comes from life outside MMA. Before the UFC, he went 22-7 in kickboxing with 15 knockouts and was the first Brazilian to compete in Glory, according to the UFC.
“I was a three-time kickboxing world champion. But financially speaking, man, it was very weak,” he told Lance!. “That was the main reason we moved to MMA. To be able to make money and be able to retire.”
The pay debate keeps growing. Days ago, Brendan Allen said UFC fighters are underpaid and then apologized to his boss. In Jiu-Jitsu, Fepa Lopes explained to VF Comunica how fighter pay works at a superfight event, with a floor, a ceiling and a belt.
The fight against Tanner Boser at UFC Edmonton
Diniz returns after 371 days away. He is 9-2 in MMA with seven knockouts and 3-2 in the UFC. His last outing was a TKO loss to Mário Pinto in October 2025.
Tanner Boser fights at home. The Canadian is 22-11-1. Their heavyweight bout closes the prelims of the event headlined by Joaquin Buckley vs. Mike Malott at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.
Prelims start at 5 p.m. ET on Paramount+. On the same card, Erin Blanchfield and Jasmine Jasudavicius meet in a fight that could decide Natalia Silva’s next challenger.
Who is right in this debate: Jhonata Diniz, who says the UFC pays very well, or Strickland and Costa, who want bigger purses? Tell us in the comments.
Read more:
- Brendan Allen says UFC fighters are underpaid, then apologizes to the boss
- How fighter pay works at a superfight event: floor, ceiling and belt, by Fepa Lopes
- Natalia Silva: Blanchfield, Jasudavicius in title eliminator
