Jake Paul wants to see entry-level UFC fighters receive a significant pay bump from the promotion, and thinks it would raise the level of competition.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul has been advocating for fighter pay since he became involved in combat sports, which has led to heated verbal exchanges with UFC president Dana White. Recently, the UFC boss clarified that he doesn’t “hate” Paul, and acknowledged that both Jake and his brother Logan Paul have done successful things in the combat sports world.
“I don’t hate him either, I just want him to pay fighters more,” Paul said on “Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson.” “You know, now that the company is making billions of dollars a year, and the fighters are only getting 15 percent of it. That’s really where all of it stems from, is wanting higher fighter pay and long-term health care for the fighters.
“Obviously, we’ve gotten into these exchanges that muddies the purpose of why I’ve argued with him. You know, he throws out the fights are rigged, he’s on steroids; then I say something back about him being bald and ugly. It gets too messy and then we start going back and forth.”
While Paul has come up with a few suggestions and ideas on how to improve fighter pay over the years along with his business partner and former UFC chief financial officer Nakisa Bidarian, his latest suggestion is one that would benefit entry-level fighters in the UFC.
“The fighter minimum in the UFC is $12,500. It should be at least $50,000,” Paul said. “If they made it $50,000, that would change the smaller fighters’ lives in a big, big, big way. They wouldn’t have to work other jobs, they could afford gym fees, they could afford the proper food. Right now, they’re working other jobs barely scraping by.
“If they changed the fighter minimum to $50,000, it would only cost the UFC $20 million per year. But that $20 million would be going into the smaller fighters’ pockets and it’s a world of a difference. Meanwhile, they’re making $3 billion.”
Paul, who is coming off a unanimous decision win over former UFC star Nate Diaz in the boxing ring, recently signed a multiyear deal with PFL. His plan is to compete in MMA and “disrupt” the sport, as he supports the promotion’s 50 percent pay-per-view revenue share in the upcoming Super Fight division. Naturally, he would like to see the UFC take similar steps when it comes to sharing its profits.
“It’s going to make the sport a better place; more people training full time, their skills are going to be advanced, more exciting fights,” Paul said. “It’s such a small expense for them that would seriously change the game.
“I’ve said I’m down to fight someone in the UFC. You don’t even have to pay me, just change the fighter minimum from $12,500 to $50,000. To me, it’s easy. … At first, what he’s done for the sport is incredible. Kudos. We all appreciate it. We love MMA, but now that the sport and this league is the most profitable league in all of sports, pay your fighters more than 15 percent of the revenue.”
