Georgio Poullas Lands Record Purse For Competitive Wrestling Match, Power Broker Says

Georgio Poullas isn’t the most decorated wrestler in the sport, but now he may be the highest paid one.

The 27-year-old former Cleveland State wrestler who turned into a viral content creator has secured “the largest purse ever for a competitive wrestling match,” according to his representative.

While the exact figure has not been disclosed, creator space power broker Andrew "Andy" Bachman — the CEO of Creators Inc. who brokered the deal with Real American Freestyle — told The Athlete Lifestyle OnSI that speculation places the number close to seven figures for a six-minute match.

"I saw what Georgio was before anyone else did, and now the market's finally caught up," Bachman said in a statement.

Poullas became a viral sensation through his "Take Me Down, Win $1,000" challenge series, which has drawn millions of views and turned the Canfield, Ohio, native into one of wrestling's most recognizable personalities.

Bachman, who has long applied the influencer playbook to combat sports, said the strategy behind Poullas' rise was deliberate: “Traditional wrestling rewards resumes," he said. "But what Jake Paul proved is that attention creates value. Georgio built an audience first, and the market followed."

On March 3, Poullas sat down with Bachman on his podcast Creators Think to break down the chaos of RAF 6 in Poullas’ match with UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan that turned into a melee afterward, and what could come next (more on that below).

During their conversation, Bachman shared the origin of their partnership where Poullas was parking cars for a living when Bachman's team spotted his wrestling content online in early 2024.

"I looked at you and I said, 'You're not going back to that job,'" he recalled, adding that he put Poullas on salary and invited him to move into the Creators Inc. house.

Within 18 months, Poullas had become one of wrestling's most-watched personalities on social media, and once he was back on his own, the growth exploded.

"You called people. You got sponsors," Bachman said. "You probably 10xed your income within two or three months."

For his next match, the record-setting purse comes on the heels of Poullas' co-main event at RAF 6 against Tsarukyan on February 28 in Tempe, Arizona. While Tsarukyan appeared to win on points, no official winner was immediately announced and Tsarukyan's hand was never raised after the MMA star Tsarukyan rushed Poullas and threw a punch after the final whistle, sparking a post-match brawl that quickly went viral across social media.

“I broke him in that match and he didn't know what to do," Poullas said on the podcast. “He literally open-hand slapped me in the match. I never once did that. I'm throwing clubs. That's legal in wrestling. It's a physical sport. I just don't think he was used to it.”

The rivalry isn't over. On Tuesday, Poullas told The Ariel Helwani Show that he's pursuing a phone call with UFC CEO Dana White about a potential fight with Tsarukyan inside the Octagon. "Whatever I got to do to get a punch off on this guy, I want to make it happen," Poullas said.

Could we see Georgio Poullas vs. Arman Tsarukyan in the octagon, too? | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Still, Bachman sees the bigger picture beyond the RAF brawl:

"RAF is a standup organization run by professionals," he said. "For the first time, elite wrestlers can realistically set their sights on a career after college. That changes everything for the sport."

Georgio Poullas (Left) and Andy Bachman | Alex Maldonado