“I can’t sit here right now and tell ya, you know, it’s double, it’s one and a half, it’s triple. Fighter pay is gonna be good,” that’s what CEO Dana White assured when asked about the pay scale of fighters in UFC’s new partnership deal. But with a lot of changes coming along with the collaboration, there are a few question marks around the fighter pay model.

UFC will start 2026 with Paramount as its new broadcasting partner. The deal is worth $7.7 billion, extended for seven years, with many changes around the broadcasting features. While it looks gloomy due to the massive numbers, a former UFC bantamweight champion is worried about how the promotion will tackle the fighter pay issue.

Dominick Cruz raises concerns over UFC Paramount deal

“I think Paramount is going to take over so many things that it’s going to get bigger than that at some point, and that’s the plan. And it’s gonna end up helping out the fighters. I don’t know how the pay structure’s gonna go at all. Obviously, I’m not in it anymore and I have no idea how they’re gonna do it,” Dominick Cruz said while appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show.

The fighter pay is something that is often discussed around the UFC community. The promotion often gets accused of rewarding its fighters with very low percentage salaries. Along with raising concerns about the uncertainty of the fighter pay model in the UFC-Paramount era, Cruz also touched upon how UFC pay per view’s played a major role in elevating the payout in their time.

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He said, “I do know pay-per-view was the only reason I was able to have at least one fight worth $1 million. One, and only because of pay-per-view only. I wouldn’t have got that if it wasn’t for pay-per-view, and I wouldn’t have got that unless I was co-main event with Ronda Rousey [at UFC 207], which is a big earner. I wouldn’t have got that unless I was on a card with like a [Conor] McGregor.”

Now, with the new broadcasting deal, UFC has scrapped the pay-per-view model in the United States. Instead, they are coming up with 13 annual numbered events and 30 Fight Nights.

Who’s fighting on the first UFC numbered card of the Paramount era?

Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria was expected to headline the first card of the Paramount era, UFC 324. But some personal reasons delayed his return. For which, the promotion has booked an interim lightweight championship fight between Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje in the main event. With many from the MMA community already predicting the winner of the main event, the winner will likely unify the title upon Topuria’s return to the Octagon.

On the co-main, Kayla Harrison‘s injury has postponed her bout against Amanda Nunes. And, the UFC promoted Sean O’Malley and Song Yadong‘s fight to the co-main event. UFC 324 will feature a total of 13 fights. And will have notable fighters on the undercard such as Derrick Lewis, Rose Namajunas, Arnold Allen, Jean Silva, Umar Nurmagomedov, and Deiveson Figueiredo.

The event is set for Saturday, Jan. 24, at the T-Mobile Arena, with the early prelims starting at 5 p.m. ET and the main card beginning at 9 p.m. ET. With high expectations from the star-studded lineup, fans won’t want to miss any of the action. On that note, let us know your predictions for the fights in the comments below!