In the UFC, fighters don’t just earn show money or performance bonuses. They also earn “monster checks” when the promotion uses their avatars in the UFC EA Sports games. Recently, UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier just pulled back the curtain on the ‘monster checks’ a select few fighters are cashing from the games, and the names might surprise you.

Daniel Cormier, the UFC’s former two-division champion, retired successfully in 2020 after capturing both titles. Without wasting any time, DC joined the promotion as a commentator, working mostly on numbered events alongside Joe Rogan and Jon Anik. This role not only keeps him close to the UFC but also gives him insider insight. In a recent conversation with UFC veteran Ben Askren, he explained that the more a fighter’s character appears in the game, the higher their payment.

Daniel Cormier breaks down which UFC stars earn top game royalties

“On the video game, it’s about how many times you get used, right?” Daniel Cormier said. “So, guys like Justin Gaethje, Ilia Topuria, Pereira, those guys are getting monster checks. When I was fighting, my video game checks were bigger than they are today. But let me run this down for you.”

“The UFC will give you, every year, an envelope that says royalties, right? You get a paper, and it’s literally every single thing that you sell. It’s unbelievable. If you sell a t-shirt, it tells you how much you get from that t-shirt, and it’s everything. So, if you sold a boatload of products, you get like 50 or 100 pages of everything you sold from the UFC.”

Currently, Dana White & Co. pay UFC fighters royalties through multi-year sponsorships, such as Venom’s deal with the promotion. In addition, fighters earn a percentage of royalties, around 20–30 percent of merchandise sold that bears their name. This system highlights which UFC stars generate the most profit for the promotion.

At present, two-division champions Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira rank among the most valuable fighters because their fighting style and star power attract attention. The Brazilian’s middleweight title run ended in a rematch against Israel Adesanya, and later went on to become the light heavyweight champion before vacating it to join the heavyweight division. On the other hand, the former featherweight champion currently holds the undisputed lightweight title.

Justin Gaethje, the only American champion, earns a reputation as a fan-favorite because of his brutal fighting style. His performance at UFC 324, where he knocked Pimblett down multiple times with pressure, pushing the Liverpudlian against the fence and landing heavy-handed combinations, won the match and the interim lightweight title. This gives gamers a chance to create an exciting, action-packed playstyle, driving up Gaethje’s usage.

Recent insights from Daniel Cormier show that fighters who rely on striking and fight on their feet earn higher paychecks through video game royalties, highlighting the value of striking talent.

When it comes to UFC games, royalties provide the largest paychecks, although amounts vary. For example, in January, Matt Frevola revealed that UFC 5 paid him $250 in royalties, whereas MMA legend Demetrious Johnson earned $25,000, as he shared in a YouTube video last year.

“One day I’m at home, I’m playing video games, and I get an email stating that, ‘Hey, since your likeness is being used a lot in the video game, we are sending you a check,’” Johnson said via YouTube. “Now, the very first check I got for being in the UFC video game was $25,000…for just being in a video game because you people love using me as a character. So I was ecstatic.”

Indeed, the EA-UFC collaboration has rewarded UFC fighters. However, it does not fully solve the pay disparity among fighters. As noted above, the promotion gives superstars the largest payouts, while lower-level fighters earn far less. Therefore, this compensation gap has sparked discussion, prompting a UFC veteran to break his silence on the issue recently.

Matt Brown laughs off UFC’s concerns over fighter salaries

Low pay in the UFC is not a new issue and has remained a persistent topic for years. However, it has recently gained renewed attention, especially when stars like Jon Jones call out the promotion for underpaying fighters. For years, Dana White treated Jon Jones as a favorite, putting him on major events, giving him ample preparation time, and crowning him the pound-for-pound number one fighter.

Nevertheless, their relationship hit a rough patch last year. Jones went against Dana White after the promotion promised he would fight Tom Aspinall for the interim belt in a title unification match.

Furthermore, the situation worsened when the UFC denied Jones’s request for more than $15 million to fight at the White issue event. Last year, the UFC offered him $30 million to face Aspinall, yet at the same time, they signed rising boxer Conor Benn for $15 million with Zuffa Boxing, which Jones viewed as a major sign of disrespect.

As a result, UFC veteran Matt Brown openly supports Jones.

“I’m on Jon Jones’ side on this,” Brown said. “There’s been enough things I’ve not been on Jon Jones’ side about but I think from his point of view, he’s look at it like you’re paying Conor Benn $15 million, who’s a mid-boxer right now. He might be a great champion of the future, but he hasn’t had those title shots, and he hasn’t even had those opportunities yet. He has one good win on his record over [Chris] Eubanks, I think that’s probably his best win

With frustration over fighter pay growing across the MMA world, what’s your take on the situation? Share your thoughts below.