UFC Fighters Looking to Redo Contracts As Paramount+ Deal Begins

The UFC on Paramount+ era starts Saturday, but how it affects fighters’ wallets still remains to be determined.

UFC will take in an average of $1.1 billion per year from the Paramount deal, doubling the amount the promotion earned from its media agreement with ESPN. UFC CEO Dana White previously told Front Office Sports that the deal is “incredible for the fighters” and would result in the company looking into increasing fighter pay.

UFC fighters typically compete on show-and-win contracts, with fighters having guaranteed pay for fighting and a bonus for winning. But champions and stars have historically also earned a share of pay-per-view revenue. With pay-per-view largely eliminated, some fighters will be losing a key chunk of their pay.

Knock Out Representation president Oren Hodak told FOS that he is renegotiating contracts to reflect the post-PPV reality.

“We are currently working on a new flat rate for some fighters who would have previously earned pay-per-view points,” Hodak told FOS. Hodak represents former champions Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili, along with fan favorites like Kevin Holland and Renato Moicano.

As UFC’s revenue continues to increase, Hodak believes that fighters should indeed be paid more. “I certainly feel that our clients are entitled to a fair piece of the pie,” he told FOS. “I will be presenting our case for these increased earnings and working on new deals for upcoming bouts.”

Multiple fighters have chimed in on how their contract situation has been affected by the Paramount deal, including Conor McGregor. The Irish lightweight has not fought an MMA bout since July 2021, but White has said that he is under consideration to fight on the card that is planned for Trump’s birthday in Washington, D.C., this summer. McGregor appeared on a livestream Sunday and said that due to the deal, he has to renegotiate his contract to fight on the White House card. 

“My contract, essentially, is void right now because there’s no more pay-per-view, whereas my contract was based on pay-per-view sales,” McGregor said. He added that negotiations will begin in February and that he is “very interested to see how it goes.”

The latest fighter to comment was Justin Gaethje, who is fighting in the main event of UFC 324 on Jan. 24. Gaethje spoke at media day on Wednesday and disputed the notion that the deal is already financially benefiting the fighters. 

“I hear Daniel Cormier saying that everybody is going to get paid more on this card,” Gaethje said. “I’m not getting one dollar more than I would’ve if this deal didn’t happen.”

White appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday and disputed Gaethje’s version. “Gaethje was offered more money and Gaethje never responded,” he said. 

UFC and Gaethje’s agency Dominance MMA could not be reached for comment.