‘I must have million dollar contracts’

Jared Cannonier believes he ought to be making the identical as other high-level athletes in other sports.

Events like UFC 329 have brought in huge viewing numbers for the highest MMA promotion since they made the move over to Paramount+ in the beginning of the yr.

Despite making the argument that fighter pay has continued to go up yearly to reflect the expansion of the game, Dana White doesn’t intend on upping the bottom pay.

While fighters who’re latest to the promotion need to prove their value to earn larger contracts, even athletes who do that don’t all the time feel like they’re being fairly compensated.

You might be Dana White for the day, what’s the one change you’d make to the UFC?

Jared Cannonier argues he should earn what other high-level athletes do after proving himself within the UFC

At UFC Oklahoma City, Jared Cannonier will step contained in the Octagon for the twenty first time.

The previous middleweight title challenger has been facing top opposition within the 185 pound division ever since he put together a win streak in 2019 after dropping down from light heavyweight.

‘Tha Killa Gorilla’ recently explained that while he understands that fighters have to prove their value to the UFC to be able to earn higher contracts, he still doesn’t feel like this fully adds up.

“Let me put it like this, I would love to receives a commission the way in which that other major, the very best performing athletes in any sport receives a commission,” he told Full Send MMA. We’re on TV’s all over the world. We undergo lots simply to make it to fight week. We lost a whole lot of money that’s not coming to us.”

While the likes of Joe Rogan have called for the UFC’s show/win pay structure to be removed, Cannonier cited the lack of fighters with the ability to have their very own sponsors for fights as a difference maker.

“The changing of the landscape modified that for us and it didn’t leave us with much of anything at the tip,” he continued.

“Fighters are definitely on the s— end of the stick on this whole business, in the event you will. I mean I feel I ought to be getting paid, I must have million dollar contracts. Not $100,000 contracts and stuff on the stage I’m in. I’ve been top five, top ten, for about what, seven, eight years I feel. Again, I’m not complaining, but this is certainly how I feel.”

Cannonier, now 42 years old, will look to prove that he can still hang with the middleweight division’s rising contenders when he takes on England’s Christian Leroy Duncan within the co-main event on July 18.