Jake Paul has criticized the UFC for its pay disparity after Donald Cerrone revealed he didn’t make millions for his fight with Conor McGregor, despite the event reportedly generating $80 million in revenue.
Donald Cerrone, a well-known name in the MMA world, didn’t make millions from his biggest fight. Jake Paul, the controversial YouTuber turned boxer, is questioning why.
“Cowboy” Cerrone, as he’s fondly called, recently appeared on the Rodeo Time podcast. He debunked the idea of a massive payday from his fight with Conor McGregor. This fight, held at UFC 246 in January 2020, marked McGregor’s return to MMA after a 15-month hiatus. McGregor, aka “The Notorious,” claimed he’d pocket at least $80 million from the fight. He won by knockout in a mere 40 seconds.
Cerrone is known for not haggling for more pay beyond his contract. He was reportedly guaranteed $200,000 for showing up, with an extra $200,000 if he beat McGregor. Whether Cerrone received any bonuses remains a mystery. But, according to him, it’s unlikely.
Jake Paul, a known critic of UFC CEO Dana White on fighter pay, tweeted about the UFC 246 wage disparity. “Fighters need to wake up,” he wrote. “Cowboy is a legend. Put in years and years of work. Massive name & veteran for MMA. That event probably did $80M in revenue.”
Paul’s criticism of UFC fighter pay isn’t new. He often brags about his boxing matches with ex-UFC stars like Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley, and Ben Askren. These fights, he claims, were extremely profitable for the MMA fighters. Paul, now a PFL signee, recently suggested that White is “worried” about the competition after the league’s merger with Bellator in December.
Cerrone retired from MMA after losing to Jim Miller in July 2022. His impressive career ended on a seven-fight losing streak. On the podcast, he estimated his career earnings at around “$10 million” and expressed satisfaction with his income.
Here’s what Cerrone had to say on Rodeo Time: “Kudos to Conor. What a good dude and what a name to make for yourself, that’s what I’m talking about. The well-oiled machine, he deserves $100 million, he went out there and did that. Good for you.”
He continued: “Everyone thinks I got super paid on that. I did not. You’re contracted, you have a contract, it’s what it is. … I would always sign — which is unheard of — eight-fight deals. Most people do one, two, three, but I knew I wanted to fight eight times a year, so an eight-fight deal for me was a year, half a year. So I was on those eight-fight deals, I’m locked into that. It’s not like, three fights in I can be like, ‘Time to renegotiate because I’m fighting Conor.’ No. You still have four more fights on your contract, this is what you’re getting paid.”
He added: “So everyone was like, ‘Red panty night, you got paid.’ No, I didn’t. I got paid what I always got paid, which is good. I ain’t complaining. I’m not making s*** up saying, ‘Dana, he owes me money.’ I made great money.”
“In my career I made $10 million. I’m good,” Cerrone concluded.