Richer by $300K After Dana White’s Massive Hand Out, Justin Gaethje Comes Clean on Reality Behind His Big Bonuses

Justin Gaethje has a 25-5-0 record in his MMA career and this man does not come to play lightly. He defeated Dustin Poirier in UFC 291 and became the only second fighter in UFC history to be handed the BMF championship. However, the title could not stay for long with the 35-year-old as he ended up losing it to Max Holloway in UFC 300. Though Gaethje was handed a defeat by Holloway via final-second stoppage, he did have some consolation in the form of a $2,369,000 payout.

‘The Highlight’ is one of the most dangerous fighters in UFC and is known for his high-risk fighting approach. The brawler style technique and reckless behavior of Gaethje are widely known by the UFC world. He is aware of the risks involved with this technique but still decides to continue the same way, and Dana White might be the reason behind that. 

Justin Gaethje reflects on his massive payout

During a recent interview with Title Sports Network, ‘The Highlight’ gave his opinion on not choosing a wrestling-heavy fight technique and how it helps him maintain a good lifestyle. Gaethje stated that if he switched his fighting style, then the UFC head honcho would not pay him as much as he is paid now. The fighter confidently claimed that because of the fearless style he had, he was paid a huge amount and got some of the most amazing fights.

‘The Highlight’ reiterated, “This is my job, I do this for the money. If I was to take a heavy wrestling approach they would never be paying me what they’re paying me now. I’ve had huge fights, pretty much because of the way I fight so I have no regrets.” UFC fans know his techniques inside the octagon and fans have seen some incredible performances from Gaethje in his UFC career.

He always puts on a show for fans like he did for the UFC 300, where he went wild for the 5 rounds and the whole arena erupted in cheers. Gaethje even dropped Holloway in the match; however, ‘Blessed’ got the last say by a KO. Notably, Dana White paid the 35-year-old a handsome bonus of $300K following the conclusion of UFC 300 for his stunning performance.  

The former interim lightweight champion is so good at his game that even his manager Ali Abdelaziz fought for the dollars that he deserved.

Ali Abdelaziz once rescued Justin Gaethje’s well-deserved money

Abdelaziz is famous for defending the fighters under his wing. He had once defended Khabib Nurmagomedov when Conor McGregor had spoken harsh things about the former’s family. Similarly, the executive was once inclined to give Gaethje the bonus that he deserved and said that the fighter deserved a bonus of $500,000. However, he cleared that there was no bad blood between Dana White and himself because they all are a team at the end of the day.

Abdelaziz narrated the incident on ‘Show me the Money’ podcast last month saying, “I’ll tell you a story. During Covid, Justin Gaethje was to fight Tony Ferguson, right? And I thought Justin deserved $500,000. He [Dana White] said, no I’ll give him 350, and I was like, hey you guys cheap mot*** you are so cheap like. And I got so mad. I always have cash with me. And I went to my house, and I got $150,000 in a box. And it was Covid, so everything was closed. I dropped it at the front desk of UFC security.”

He even told the security to give Hunter the money and the UFC team chased the manager for 10 days to return the same money. And finally, Gaethje was paid his due. The Egyptian executive does go to far and wide lengths to help his fighters and Gaethje’s style is worth the payout.

What are your thoughts about Gaethje’s payout? Let us know in the comments below.