Will The UFC Moving to Paramount+ Benefit Fighters Financially?
The Paramount+ Era could spell big change for the UFC. Moving to streaming means that fans are no longer charged to watch fights under a Pay-Per-View model. That’s big news for the fans, but bigger news for the fighters. Many of the UFC’s top athletes signed contracts that granted them more money for more PPVs sold. With the UFC abandoning this model, contracts need to be restructured and renegotiated.
At first examination the new model is great for fighters. When asked what the deal would mean for fighter pay, UFC President Dana White said,”I can tell you this—since day one, fighter pay just continues to go up. Every new deal we get, it’s definitely good for the fighters.” Although vague, the statement sounded like it would bode well for fighters. And in keeping with that, White announced before the shift to Paramount that fighters would receive $100,000 for performance bonuses instead of the previous $50,000, and that every fighter who got a finish would get $50,000 added to their pay. This is a huge and meaningful increase, especially at the lower levels, where fighters can receive as little as $10,000 for competing in the UFC.
However, everything isn’t as it seems, at least not according to interim UFC Lightweight Champion Justin Gaethje. Gaethje is no stranger to performance bonuses - since debuting in June of 2017, he’s earned a whopping 15 performance bonuses, and that in only 15 fights. His most recent fight, a dominant decision victory over Paddy Pimblett, earned him the first $100,000 dollar ‘fight of the night’ bonus in the history of the company. He’ll be looking to earn another one in his yet unannounced title unification bout with undisputed champion Illia Topuria In spite of the potential the deal has to increase his earnings, Gaethje wasn’t glowing when describing the new card. “I hear Daniel Cormier saying everybody is going to get paid more on this card,” Gaethje said during UFC 324 media day. “I’m not getting one dollar more than I would have if this deal did not happen.” While the lower ranked fighters have grand potential to increase their earnings, it appears top fighters are getting paid the same.
Such news is disappointing, especially considering the landscape of combat sports. Around 19% of UFC revenue goes to the fighters, compared to roughly 50 for organizations like the NBA and NFL. On top of that, White recently signed boxer Connor Benn to his Zuffa Boxing promotion, paying him $15,000,000 for a single fight. For a fighter like Gaethje, who’s put on classic after classic for the company, it must be hard not to be offended. Upper-echelon UFC management has no financial issue with paying fighters, but they still aren’t doing it. When it comes down to top level fighters, the pay will remain mostly the same.
