Dana White has countered Justin Gaethje’s claim that he is not getting paid “$1 more” despite the UFC’s new deal with Paramount+, which is worth $7.7bn.
Saturday night brings UFC 324, the first event of the UFC’s Paramount+ era, and Gaethje will face Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight title in the main event.
Going into that clash at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the UFC’s long-criticised fighter pay has been a hot topic of discussion, with many fans hoping that it might increase.
However, Gaethje claimed during Wednesday’s media day: “I hear [UFC champion-turned commentator] Daniel Cormier saying everybody is going to get paid more on this card. I’m not getting $1 more than I would have if this deal did not happen.”
Gaethje, 37, went further into the matter of fighter pay, too. The American, known as one of the UFC’s most-entertaining fighters – having produced, and been on the wrong end of, many all-time great knockouts – played down the upside of post-fight bonuses.
“To have 14 bonuses and not equal up to $1m is not right,” said the former interim champion. “It’s not right.
“It should be a lot more than that, and I should have had opportunities to do smarter things with my money, but I don’t and I haven’t.”
Now, UFC president White has hit back, saying on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday: “Gaethje… Without getting into all that stuff, Gaethje was offered more money, and Gaethje never responded. [But] we’re good.”
The UFC’s Paramount+ deal, following the MMA promotion’s split from ESPN in late 2025, represents the end of the pay-per-view (PPV) model for the fight company. That has led many fans and pundits to question how fighters will be paid, with PPV points having been a key part of the old system.
“We completely have it dialled in,” White said. “We’ve got really smart kids, and they can get down within single digits on how close it would be to pay them like it was a PPV.”
If Gaethje beats Pimblett, 31, in Saturday’s main event, he should be next for regular lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, who is taking a brief break from MMA.
That would also apply to Pimblett, should he win, and the Liverpudlian star has shared a bitter grudge with Topuria dating back to 2022, when they had a bust-up in a hotel before UFC London.
As such, Pimblett vs Topuria is one of the biggest fights the UFC could make, yet Gaethje is keen to spoil plans as he has before.
In 2020, Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson remained one of the most-desired fights for UFC fans, and Ferguson faced Gaethje in the spring with the interim title on the line – and a shot at regular champ Nurmagomedov. But Gaethje dominated and stopped Ferguson, setting up his own clash with Nurmagomedov in the autumn.
Nurmagomedov submitted Gaethje to retain the lightweight title, before retiring from competition during his post-fight interview. The Russian icon now coaches fighters.
