“I love fighting and hitting people – it’s something I do with great pleasure, 110 percent,” the American said on another edition of The Man Dance podcast. “I thought Izzy would be better. I’m sure the UFC can give him a rematch – he’ll take it a little more seriously and he can perform better.”
“Everyone asks me, ‘Who do you want to fight in your next fight?’ and I really don’t care about that. I just want to make money and get a percentage of the pay-per-view broadcasts. Give me someone who can help me make the damn money. I don’t want to fight someone boring. I want a good fight and someone who makes money – I want to pump up my Hyundai Accent some more”
Strickland said his biggest purchase after winning the championship belt was a six-foot boat with a $500 trailer, which he plans to use for lobster fishing.
Currently, the most likely candidates for a championship fight are former champion Israel Adesanya, division number two Dricus Du Plessis, and the winner of the fight between Paulo Costa and Khamzat Chimaev, which takes place Oct. 21 at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.