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.
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