For all the talk about a “new era,” Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighters may be seeing the same old paychecks.
With the Paramount+ era officially set to kick off at UFC 324 this weekend (Sat., Jan. 24, 2026) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, questions about fighter pay are once again front and center — especially after the promotion finalized a $7.7 billion broadcast deal
with the streaming giant.Despite optimism that the massive deal would finally translate into better pay for
the roster, UFC 324 headliner Justin Gaethje says nothing has changed — at least not for him.
Not even a dollar.
Last month, former two-division champion and UFC broadcaster Daniel Cormier suggested fighters were “already getting more money” under the new agreement. But Gaethje, who headlines the first event of the Paramount+ partnership, flatly shut that down during UFC 324 media day (watch here).
“To have 14 bonuses and not equal to $1 million — it’s not right,” Gaethje said. “It should be a lot more than that, and I should have the opportunity to do smarter things with my money — but I don’t, and I haven’t.”
“I heard Daniel Cormier say that everyone is going to get paid more on this card,” he added. “I’m not getting one dollar more than I would have if this deal didn’t happen. I’m happy with what I’ve achieved, and the best thing I probably did was invest in a commercial property.”
It’s pretty concerning that the headliner of the first Paramount+ event isn’t receiving a raise, and it raises uncomfortable questions about how — or if — the new broadcast money will trickle down to the athletes actually risking their health inside the Octagon.
To be fair, Gaethje is still competing under a contract signed before the Paramount+ deal was finalized, which could explain the lack of immediate changes. Still, UFC CEO Dana White previously hinted that bonus structures would increase under the new partnership — something that has yet to materialize publicly.
For now, the “new era” looks a lot like the old one.
And if the face of UFC 324 isn’t seeing a bump, it’s hard to imagine the rest of the roster is either….for now.
To checkout the latest and greatest UFC 324 news and notes click here.
