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UFC News: Sean Strickland Slammed by Former UFC Champ for Not Sparring Jake Paul

Tyron Woodley says the UFC isn't to blame for stopping Strickland vs. Paul.

The only thing stopping Sean Strickland from sparring with Jake Paul is himself.

At least, that's what Tyron Woodley had to say about the controversial former champ's ongoing quarrel with 'The Problem Child'. Earlier this month, Paul and Strickland went back and forth online after Strickland beat the brakes off influencer 'Sneako' during a viral sparring session held at the UFC Performance Institute.

Paul invited the UFC star to fight him ahead of his upcoming boxing match in Puerto Rico, making a $1M offer to Strickland if he ended up winning their unsanctioned contest. 

Showing interest at first, Strickland cited he couldn't take up the challenge because he's under UFC contract and can't fight anyone he so desires. That's what the former champion understood from a recent conversation with UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell.

Former UFC Welterweight Champion Woodley says it doesn't work that way and in reality, nothing is getting in the way of him colliding against Paul. 

"Why the f*** you ask Hunter? You asked your daddy if you can fight. You don't have to ask nobody if you can fight. Legally they can not stop him from sparring Jake Paul," Woodley said on his YouTube channel.

"Jake Paul said he wanted to spar him the same way Sneako walked into the cage. I want you to know, he had to walk through security. He had to be signed in on the list. I know that. That's the Apex. They let him come in there. He signed something to go in there and do that."

There's nothing in Strickland's promotional contract that says he can't tangle with an influencer-turned-boxer at the gym or in sparring --- the complication comes from the $1M bet. The story would be much different if Paul was calling for an actual boxing match like he's already done against multiple UFC fighters including Woodley twice.

For 'The Chosen One', he wouldn't hesitate if Jake Paul put up $1M for a sparring session between them. 

"He can spar with anybody he wants to. You see all the time, you saw Nick Diaz sparring with Andre Ward. You think that was a great idea? No. Jake Paul didn't say, come and meet me in the f***ing arena and come and meet me in a sanctioned fight. 

"He said, come to my gym. Nobody can stop him from doing that at all. So Sean Strickland is a hoe for asking Hunter. He a hoe for beating that dude up like that. He could've just went and took the f***ing [million dollars], I would've never asked a motherf***er, can I go and spar somebody for a million bucks? I'd have been on the next fight to f***ing Puerto Rico."

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