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UFC fighter quits job after amazing knockout debut

Mathew Riddle|
Jason Silva-Imagn Images

UFC debuts don't come much better than Malcolm Wellmaker's at UFC Kansas City.

Wellmaker knocked out Cameron Saaiman in an impressive display on the night's prelims, earning himself a tidy $50,000 bonus along the way.

'The Machine' replicated his success from Dana White's Contender Series, where he produced a knockout in a similar fashion.

Malcolm Wellmaker quits job after UFC Kansas City KO

Many UFC fighters aren't bringing enough money home to make fighting their full-time living. Even the sport's biggest stars, like Paddy Pimblett, admit being paid the UFC minimum for their first few fights, which is between $10k and $12k show and win.

That money quickly drains away after taxes, management, travel, and other expenses. However, for Wellmaker, the $50k bonus was enough to go out on a limb. Formerly working in the construction industry, Wellmaker has quit his job to pursue fighting.

"I quit my job this morning," Wellmaker told James Lynch on behalf of Inside Fighting, on April 28. "If I just got my fight and win money I was probably going to show back up to work today. . . . It makes so much more sense for me to invest in my career."

Wellmaker's story is endearing, but it's also an concerning reflection of the UFC's pay structure.

Unsealed documents from the UFC Antitrust lawsuit have shown the fighter-allocated revenue split to be less than 20 percent. By comparison, sports like professional boxing have paid their fighters over 60 percent of the revenue.

This is partly due to the fact that UFC athletes can't use their own in-cage sponsors, as well as the centralized business model of the UFC.

Ideally, all UFC debutants should be able to call fighting their full-time living, after all, UFC is the NFL of MMA.

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Mathew Riddle
MATHEW RIDDLE

Mathew is a UK-based combat sports journalist, graphic designer, and SEO expert with half a decade of digital marketing and a dedicated four-year track record in MMA journalism. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023. Mathew's insights have been featured on Bloody Elbow, The Fight Fanatic, and Heavy on UFC. He runs Warrior Tribune and can be contacted by his Muckrack profile.

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