The UFC’s motto is “As Real As It Gets”, and the reality is the fact that MMA is a grueling sport that isn’t for the faint of heart. Sport or martial arts – athletes, at the end of the day, are prize fighters, that put their bodies on the line for the entertainment of the masses. So, shouldn’t they be compensated well? The general notion is, “No”, but things might be more complicated behind the scenes. After all, running the biggest MMA promotion in the world is no joke; credit to Dana White.

But also, long before the UFC consolidated its position in the MMA landscape, Dana White was still accused of underpaying his fighters. And now the emergence of organizations like the PFL, BKFC, and even GFL – ones that claim to operate in the interest of fighters, especially financially – has yet again brought up the conversation of underpaid athletes in the UFC. So does Dana White underpay his fighters compared to the PFL and BKFC? Let’s take a closer look.

How much do PFL and BKFC pay their fighters?

Before, the UFC acquired promotions like Strikeforce and PRIDE to consolidate its position in the fight game, even acquiring a star roster from both organizations in the process. Then came Bellator, and later PFL, the latter of which took over the former. Both organizations served as direct competitors to the UFC, staying their courses until the merger last year. So what’s so special about the PFL? Why are fighters like Francis Ngannou, once considered UFC royalty and a massive draw, finding their homes in PFL?

Let’s take the case of Francis Ngannou itself. At the height of his success in the UFC, he was paid $600,000 against Ciryl Gane for his last appearance. Compare that with his first appearance at PFL, where he was paid a signing bonus of $2 million, and $8 million for his fight against Renan Ferreira. That’s a flat $10 million dollars, excluding PPV shares. What’s more? Ferreira got paid a massive $2 million for that fight as well. But what about lesser-known fighters? Well, it looks like PFL takes care of them as well, for example, Movlid Khaybulaev and Bubba Jenkins got $100,000 for their PFL 4 appearances last year.

On the other hand, a UFC fighter receiving $8 million to fight is ludicrous. Well-known fighters such as Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, and Daniel Cormier got paid between $2 million and $6 million (including sponsorships and bonuses) for their Octagon appearances. The only UFC fighter to have gotten paid $8 million was Brock Lesnar for his UFC 200 promotional return. Most recently, Islam Makhachev, the P4P #1 fighter, received $250,000 for his championship fight against Renato Moicano at UFC 311. Makhachev is one of the most dominant and recognizable faces in the fight game, yet his payout was abysmally low compared to fighters like Jon Jones or Israel Adesanya.

And these payouts come after intense negotiations. What about low-tier or entry-level fighters? Well, entry-level fighters get paid $12,000 for showing and another $12,000 for winning, albeit at the chance of winning performance bonuses worth $50,000.

What about BKFC? Does the bare-knuckle boxing promotion pay its fighters decently? Let’s look at some examples. At BKFC 28, Taylor Starling received a base pay of $20,000.  It is estimated that ‘Killa Bee’ made between $50,000 and $100,000 at BKFC Knuckle Mania 5. Furthermore, Eddie Alvarez, a veteran in the fight game, got paid $1 million for a losing effort against the promotion’s biggest star Mike Perry at BKFC 56. Getting paid $20,000 is certainly better than getting paid $12,000.

So that begs the question – do the PFL and BKFC pay its fighters more than what the UFC does? Let’s find out.

Do PFL and BKFC pay more than UFC?

Fighter pay is one of the most contentious and continuously talked about aspects of the UFC. Dana White regularly comes under scrutiny for allegedly underpaying his fighters. But the UFC is a well-oiled machine and – fighters being well-compensated or not – continues to deliver fights on a scale that is hard to rival by any organization out there. It’s safe to assume that the UFC has developed a system in place, to ensure that they get the most out of the talent that walks through its doors.

UFC fighters make money primarily through pay-per-views and paychecks along with bonuses. Fighters have to sign exclusive contracts for a certain fixed amount of money until they can move up the ranks and negotiate better contracts. Entry-level fighters in the UFC typically earn around $12,000 to $14,000 to show and another $12,000 to $14,000 if they win. When factoring in expenses like gym fees, coaching, travel, and medical costs, the take-home amount often dwindles to a fraction of the original paycheck.

Comparisons to other professional sports further highlight the disparity, with athletes in organizations like the NFL or NBA earning significantly higher minimum salaries. These leagues distribute nearly 50% of their revenue as salaries and compensation for athletes, while for the UFC, this number stands at a meager 18%.

Last year though, the UFC had a huge revenue of almost $140 million for the PPV events alone. And the company boss, yet again, came under fire for underpaying his fighters despite the organization’s financially fruitful year. There was even a high-profile lawsuit and Dana White’s organization was ordered to pay $375 million to over 1,000 fighters. Originally, the 1,200 plaintiffs sought a settlement in the billions, but after extensive negotiations, TKO Group—the UFC’s parent company—reached an agreement to resolve the dispute.

Even Muhammad Mokaev, who was not allowed to stay in UFC after his contract ended, declared that he was earning more in Brave CF than he did with Dana White’s promotion. So, do organization like PFL and BKFC pay their fighters more than what Dana White and Co. pay to UFC fighters? Given what we’ve covered so far, we are inclined to think so. What do you think? Do you think the UFC should increase fighter pay? Let us know in the comments down below.