UFC Salary 10x Less Than Top Rival, Fighter Reveals
Cedric Doumbé revealed that his contract with 'Professional Fighter's League' (PFL) is "10 times bigger" than what he was offered by the UFC.
Doumbé was set to face Darian Weeks at UFC Paris in September 2022, but was forced to pull out due to a medical misdiagnosis, and violations of The Federation of MMA France's provisional ruleset.
"The Best" appeared on the May 15 episode of "The MMA Hour", where he discussed the offers he had from the UFC and PFL.
"After [dropping out of UFC Paris], I went into discussion with Bellator; with One Championship; with UFC and also with PFL. And I just had a better contract with PFL.
"Between [UFC Paris and now] my fame [has grown]. So we started to negotiate again and PFL offered me a way better contract.
"I had a deal on the table [with the UFC] and it was not interesting for me. The UFC is very difficult with negotiations, of course UFC was the first big promotion in MMA, they know that.
"[The contract with PFL is] 10 times bigger."
Doumbé Reveals UFC Pay Disparity
In an appearance on his YouTube channel on April 28, Doumbé revealed just how much he was offered by the UFC and PFL.
'Spinnin Backfist' Tweeted the translated message from Doumbé:
"Cedric Doumbe says that he will be paid $140,000 per fight in the PFL.
"He also says that he only would have gotten $20K show + $20K win bonus if he signed for the UFC.
"He also says that he will be fighting June 23 in Atlanta and will join IMMEDIATELY into the welterweight tournament for the $1 Million Prize."
Doumbe claims make sense considering the UFC's pay structure for new fighters entering the UFC. Famously, Paddy Pimblett revealed he was on $11k/$11k show and win, even after drawing massive crowds at UFC London.
Fan favorite Paulo Costa also revealed he was being paid $65k/$65k in his championship fight against Israel Adesanya, and in his co-main event against Luke Rockhold at UFC 278.
Doumbe's revelation could spill some light on the UFC pay disparity currently blighting the sport. Currently, UFC fighters receive roughly 20% of the annual sport's revenue, whereas in the NFL, for example, players receive roughly half of the annual revenue.