The roar of the Shanghai crowd masked a harsher reality. Charles Johnson, fresh off a highlight-reel knockout and the first UFC win of 2025, should have been celebrating a moment of triumph. Instead, talk has quickly shifted to his empty bank account. What happens when a UFC veteran, with a dozen fights under the world’s biggest MMA banner, still finds himself borrowing money as he prepares to welcome a newborn into the world? That’s the question now being faced by Dana White and the promotion.

MMA journalist Ariel Helwani was the first to bring the issue to light as he posted on X, “Charles Johnson’s bank account went into the red this week, his team tells me. His manager Brian Butler lent him some money. Johnson has a baby arriving any day now. Got this big KO. Got a bonus, too. First win of 2025.”

Former UFC fighter Jeff Molina didn’t hold back. Replying to Helwani’s post, he wrote, “A super talented 12 fight UFC vet being broke is sad to see. Fighter pay is an issue no question about it. Happy for him.”

Molina’s words echoed what many fans already feel. How can someone active, successful, and entertaining still face financial instability? To understand the frustration, let’s take a look at the numbers. According to online reports, other major sports leagues split revenue with their athletes roughly 50-50. The UFC, by contrast, pays fighters just 16–20% of its revenue.

The minimum purse for a UFC newcomer is reportedly $12,000 to show and $12,000 to win. At the same time, the median sits just above $51,000; nearly half of fighters earned under $45,000 in 2024, as per a report by The Quinnipiac Chronicle.

Factor in taxes, gym fees, multiple coaches, and travel costs, and the take-home pay dwindles quickly. A past estimate from fighter Myles Jury from an interview in 2015 suggested expenses can eat up a significant percentage of a fighter’s paycheck.

Johnson’s case is particularly striking because of the timing. As mentioned by Helwani, heading into UFC Shanghai, he was already on the verge of becoming a father. The added stress of being broke paints a difficult picture, one far from the glory fans associate with life as a UFC fighter. But with Dana White’s new broadcast deal, is there hope on the horizon for things to change?

Dana White confirms bonuses will go up with the Paramount deal, as fighter pay remains a contentious issue

UFC boss Dana White insists brighter days are ahead. With the UFC’s new $7.7 billion broadcast deal with Paramount set to kick off in 2026, the promotion has promised not just more fights for fans but better opportunities for its athletes.

Speaking after a Contender Series event, White shared, “When you do a deal like this, we were talking about how good it is for the fans, it’s obviously good for the company, but it’s incredible for the fighters.” According to him, fighter pay has risen steadily since 2001, and this new deal will follow the same pattern. But when pressed for specifics, the UFC boss was far less clear.

Instead of talking about base purses or revenue splits, White pointed to exposure and incentives. He did confirm one thing: bonuses are going up. He further shared, “The low-hanging fruit that’s easy to answer: The bonuses are obviously going up.”

Bonuses have been stuck at $50,000 since 2006, and while that figure once carried significant weight, inflation has stripped much of its buying power. Today, it feels like an outdated number compared to the UFC’s billion-dollar earnings.

History doesn’t provide much comfort. Just last year, the promotion settled a massive $375 million class-action lawsuit that compensated fighters who claimed they were underpaid between 2010 and 2017. The case laid bare how restrictive contracts and revenue distribution worked heavily in the company’s favor.

So while the UFC is securing billion-dollar broadcast deals and expanding across the globe, fighters like Charles Johnson are left scrambling to cover basic expenses. Dana White insists that pay will rise, bonuses will grow, and exposure will follow, but without hard numbers, doubt lingers. So the question remains: will the Paramount deal finally shift the balance in favor of the athletes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!