The UFC pay structure keeps getting undermined. The latest knock comes from Arman Tsarukyan‘s revelation of his non-UFC earnings. Now, we know the Armenian was never in it for the money. He was born into wealth, as his father, Nairi Tsarukyan, is a well-established businessman. But Tsarukyan, being one of the UFC’s notable stars, still raises curiosity about how much his fight pay contributes to his lavish lifestyle. Remember how surprised Dana White was to see him in a Rolls-Royce once?

You could argue that White knew the UFC did not pay him to afford something like that. Tsarukyan recalled the incident last year. It happened after UFC 300 in Vegas, when Hunter Campbell and Dana White were leaving The Wynn hotel, the same place the Arman camp had dinner. While the UFC brass left in a BMW, Arman left in a Phantom. At a signal, when the lightweight star caught Dana’s attention, the CEO wanted to know how he could afford that car.

In that regard, the lightweight contender finally revealed that his sponsorship deals earn him eight times his UFC purse, which supports his lifestyle. 

“Right now, yes.” ‘Ahalkalakets,’ said in the PBD podcast about getting million-dollar sponsorships from content creation. “Because last year I signed all my contracts, but in one month they’re going to be done. Instead of like $500,000, I’m going to make $3 million. For example, if I made like $500,000 a year from one brand, now I’m making like $3 million or $4 million. 

“In wrestling, I get paid well. They don’t want me to say how much they pay me because other wrestlers would want the same money. But you can buy a good Patek Philippe. With UFC? More than half a million.” 

When it comes to Arman Tsarukyan’s sponsorships, the lightweight contender has secured deals with some notable brands. He signed with Rolling Big Power Tire company and serves as their brand ambassador. Moreover, Tsarukyan is also a brand ambassador for SPRIBE’s Aviator crash game, which already has a multi-year deal with the UFC and sponsors fighters like Alex Pereira and Merab Dvalishvili.

In addition, Tsarukyan has partnered with Venum, the UFC’s official kit sponsor. With all these deals and more, if the Armenian is specifically earning $4 million, that would be roughly eight times the $550K he makes from the UFC. However, that half-a-million figure also appears to be what he earns on average per year under Dana White’s promotion. Reportedly, Tsarukyan earned $220,000 for his bout against Charles Oliveira at UFC 300, and a similar amount is believed to have come from his fight against Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar. 

Drawing comparisons, the lightweight contender also revealed that the RAF nearly pays him what he earns from UFC fights for competing in freestyle wrestling matches. Alongside Tsarukyan, his close friend and UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev has also stated that he earns more from sponsorships than from his championship UFC fights.  

Now, even though Arman Tsarukyan’s UFC purse pales in comparison to his sponsorship earnings, the Armenian fighter shared that Dana White’s promotion is moving toward improvement in terms of fighter pay after securing the $7.7 billion deal with Paramount+. 

Arman Tsarukyan reveals UFC is already getting more fighters after the Paramount+ deal

After cracking the controversial $15M Conor Benn deal, Dana White assured everyone that fighter pay would go up. Still, there weren’t many signs of that until Arman Tsarukyan revealed what’s going on with athlete contracts. The Armenian sensation shared in a conversation with boxer Ryan Garcia that the UFC has already started paying fighters more than before.

“They’ve already started paying more because of the new deal,” Tsarukyan said. “Now, they’ve changed all deals. Guys are getting more money, even me. We re-signed my contract. “Other guys, the champions, they get more pay. For example, if they got paid $2 million, now they get $4 million. It’s still not the same money as boxing.”

Now, even though Tsarukyan seems happy and hopeful that fighters are getting more money under the new structure, he also took a subtle jab at the promotion for paying champions less than expected. While the Armenian believes the situation will improve in the coming years, he thinks a champion should earn around $10 million.

“In three or four years, it’s gonna change, for sure. It cannot stay like this. If you’re a UFC champion and you defend your title, you gotta make $10 million at least.”

That said, what do you think about Tsarukyan building a fortune through sponsorships even before becoming a champion?