UFC 324 Star Responds to Claims That Paramount Deal Has Increased UFC Fighter Pay

Former interim UFC lightweight and “BMF” titleholder Justin Gaethje has set the record straight on how the promotion’s new Paramount deal has affected fighter pay so far.

A new era for the UFC is set to finally kick off this Saturday in Las Vegas, as UFC 324 will officially open the UFC’s 2026 schedule and also feature as the first event of a new $7.7 billion deal with Paramount that will run for the next seven years.

The card was supposed to feature a one-two punch of title fights before Kayla Harrison suffered a neck injury and unfortunately withdrew from her title defense against returning UFC Hall of Famer Amanda Nunes, which leaves the headlining interim lightweight title fight between Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett as the only championship bout on UFC 324.

Justin Gaethje "Not Getting One Dollar More" At UFC 324

Arguably the defining feature of the new Paramount deal is the apparent death of pay-per-view events for the UFC, which is news that has been celebrated by fans even while it's raised questions about how fighters used to earning a cut from the sale of such events might be affected.

Justin Gaethje (red gloves) fights Rafael Fiziev (blue gloves) during UFC 313 at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Speaking during media day for UFC 324, 14-fight UFC veteran Gaethje revealed that any claims that UFC 324 fighters will be making extra money from the Paramount deal have been greatly exaggerated.

“I hear Daniel Cormier saying that everybody is gonna get paid more on this card.," Gaethje said. "I’m not getting one dollar more than I would have made if this deal did not happen. So, I’m happy to have achieved what I’ve achieved. The best thing I did was probably invest in a commercial property.”

Outside of his contracted win and show money, “The Highlight” has bolstered his UFC earnings with an all-action fighting style that has made him one of the most exciting and beloved figures in the history of MMA.

Justin Gaethje (blue gloves) reacts to defeating Dustin Poirier (red gloves) during UFC 291 at Delta Center. | Jeff Swinger-Imagn Images

Gaethje has earned a staggered 12 post-fight bonuses during his UFC career, only missing out on earning that extra money when he fell short in his two undisputed lightweight title bids against Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira.

How Will The Paramount Deal Affect UFC Champions?

Semi-retired UFC star Conor McGregor also recently made headlines when discussing his own contract, as “The Notorious” claimed his current deal should be considered null and void during the Paramount era given that much of his earnings were based on pay-per-view sales.

Pay-per-view earnings have largely been reserved for reigning UFC champions, which raises the question of if Gaethje or Pimblett will see any sort of pay bump when one of them leaves Las Vegas with the interim UFC lightweight belt. UFC Lightweight Champion Ilia Topuria has already stated he plans to meet the interim titleholder in a unification fight later this year, and it also remains to be seen how the Paramount deal will influence “El Matador”, who is currently one of the promotion’s biggest stars.

Ilia Topuria (red gloves) fights Charles Oliveira (blue gloves) during UFC 317 at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

At least some questions about what the UFC’s new Paramount era will look like will be answered when UFC 324 goes down on Saturday night, and outside of the main event the card also boasts plenty of major names such as former UFC titleholders Sean O’Malley, Rose Namajunas, and Deiveson Figueiredo.

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