While Sean Strickland isn’t satisfied with Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter pay, he doesn’t think it will change anytime soon.
Strickland (31-7) recently accused the UFC of being predatory in terms of fighter pay. While Dana White claims UFC fighters are making more after the new Paramount+ deal, Strickland disagrees. Strickland recently reiterated the fact that the UFC isn’t close to any major sporting league in terms of the revenue share paid to athletic talent. However, Strickland doesn’t think that it will change for the better any time soon. Strickland notes that there will be always be struggling fighters who will be willing to compete for a lesser amount. According to Strickland, fighter pay is the reason behind the decline in the number of American fighters on the UFC roster.
“No one is getting paid more… As far as the payscale, you compare it to any other sporting event, the UFC is the most f**ked up,” Strickland told Complex. “If you compare it to athlete pay vs. what they’re making, there’s no argument there. It’s not fair, it’s predatory… I would just like it to match other sporting events… Does it change? No it doesn’t f**king change. You say no to a fight, they will find some f**king guy in some sandpit that will do it for 5k and 5k. This is why you’re slowly gonna see the American roster die… You make more money at f**king Walmart.”
Most major sporting leagues like the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL pay close to 50% of their revenue shares to athletes. However, according to a 2012 study, the UFC only paid 18.6% of its revenue to fighters.
