Jake Paul blasts UFC fighters’ pay after Donald Cerrone $200k admission

Hunter Haas
Jake Paul comes to the defense of Donald Cerrone after the MMA legend revealed his payout for UFC 246

Jake Paul has hit out at the pay UFC fighters receive after Donald Cerrone revealed he was paid $200k to fight Conor McGregor.

Paul entered the combat sports scene in 2018 with a boxing match against YouTuber Deji Olatunji. He later became a professional in 2020.

Since then, Paul has fought MMA legends like Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz, with a loss to Tommy Fury serving as the only blemish on his otherwise spotless record.

Paul quickly realized how much money could be made through boxing. As did the former UFC fighters who agreed to fight the social media star.

That led to Paul campaigning for higher wages for his MMA counterparts. This debate was reignited with a recent revelation from Cerrone.

Jake Paul roasts Dana White for underpaying UFC fighters

Cerrone was in the featured main event of UFC 246, headlining the card alongside Conor McGregor.

On the Rodeo Time podcast this week, Cerrone revealed that he only made $200,000 for a card that produced 1.3 million PPV buys.

“Everyone’s like, ‘Red panty night, you got paid!’ And I’m like, ‘No, I got paid what I always got paid,” Cerrone said. “I ain’t complaining. I made great money.”

Although Cerrone is seemingly okay with his payout, Paul came to his defense on X, calling out the hypocrisy of the UFC.

Paul posted from his account, “Fighters need to wake up. Cowboy is a legend. Put in years and years of work. That event probably did $80 million in revenue.”

Paul’s assertion that UFC fighters should receive better compensation is a sentiment many fans agree with. 

However, the company’s CEO, Dana White, has been mostly silent on the topic in the media.

He and Paul have engaged in a verbal back-and-forth for years, with White acknowledging how much good the Paul brothers are doing for combat sports, even if they disagree on this topic.

The two will forever remain at odds if the UFC pay scale doesn’t change. Paul shows no signs of backing down.

About The Author

Hunter Haas is the Senior Sports Writer at Dexerto. Over the last two years he has worked as a writer and editor for FanSided at NFLMocks. He also served as an editor at The Raider Ramble and The Blue Stable. Hunter is an expert in all things MMA, WWE, and NFL. You can email him here: hunter.haas@dexerto.com