UFC commentator Joe Rogan made an honest admission about UFC fighter pay after several athletes recently called for post-fight bonuses.
There have been several UFC fighters who have called for bonuses recently after winning their fights. For instance, King Green wanted a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus after beating Jeremy Stephens at UFC 328. He used his post-fight interview with Rogan as an opportunity to directly call out UFC president Dana White and UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell for his perceived snub of a bonus in his previous fight against Daniel Zellhuber. After calling out White and Campbell, Green was once again denied a $100,000 POTN bonus for his submission win over Stephens. And speaking of Stephens, the veteran was also critical of the UFC bonus structure in a recent interview.
Joe Rogan Makes Honest Admission About Fighter Pay
Speaking on the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, the longtime UFC commentator and former Fear Factor host was asked what he thinks about fighters calling for bonuses after they win fights. For Rogan, who has been involved with the UFC since 1997, it doesn’t look good for the UFC when fighters routinely call for bonuses. In his mind, with the UFC now a $7.7 billion company after signing with Paramount+, it’s not a good look when you have fighters asking, even begging, for money. However, he admitted that he doesn’t have the business acumen that White, Campbell, and the other UFC executives have.
“I hate all of it. I hate people that have to ask for bonuses. You know, look, the money is there, right? We know the money’s there. This is a $7 billion deal. I’m not a businessman, I’ll say that right now… Listen, all this is hippie talk,” Rogan later added. “But, I feel like if I owned the UFC, I would not feel good if people didn’t feel compensated correctly. This is just my feeling and I’m not a good businessman. If you want to be a good businessman, you’ve got to make the most money possible,” Rogan said (via Bloody Elbow).
UFC Gives Finishing Bonuses Now
One of the best things about the UFC on Paramount+ deal is that the promotion has started to give out finishing bonuses now. In the past, when a fighter got a finish, there was no guarantee they would get extra money for their performance. Now, though, fighters are guaranteed at least $25,000 when they finish their opponents as part of the new UFC bonus structure.
The four other bonuses, two for Performance of the Night and two for Fight of the Night, are also more money now than they used to be. They were set at $50,000 for the past decade, but are now $100,000. So the bonus money certainly went up following the UFC’s new broadcasting deal.
That being said, we still get fighters every week asking for bonuses. If you’re Rogan, the way to combat this is to compensate the athletes more so they don’t have to ask for bonuses. But Rogan isn’t the one running the UFC and answering to shareholders, so although Rogan has some say in the industry, ultimately, the UFC executives at the top of the food chain are the ones who decide how fighter pay works.
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