Exclusive: ONE Championship Star Reflects on $3M Paige VanZant Making More OnlyFans Money Than Her

Fighter pay on other combat sports avenues, other than boxing, don’t really pay as well, even if you’re competing at the highest level. The UFC could be an exception, but not everyone’s making bank, and that situation often leads to finding other sources of income. That’s where certain social media platforms come in, like YouTube or Instagram. In this shifting landscape, ONE Championship’s Jackie Buntan recently spoke to EssentiallySports about her growing partnership with OnlyFans,  drawing inevitable comparisons to former UFC star Paige VanZant.

Over the last few years, social media has evolved into a powerful economic engine for athletes. One platform in particular, OnlyFans, carries a mixed reputation because of its association with adult content. VanZant embraced that reality, openly stating she earned far more from the site than from her UFC fight purses. Buntan, however, has chosen to use it in a more traditional sponsorship model, focusing purely on training content and fan engagement.

“Yeah, [OnlyFans is a] huge [sponsor]. [It’s] probably one of my biggest partnerships to this date. It’s been like a few months with them. They’re absolutely amazing company, great team as well,” Jackie Buntan told Andrew Whitelaw during the exclusive interview with EssentiallySports. “I put up only training footage up there, all like, behind the scenes. On Instagram, you see some quick little pad work. Cool and all, but on my OnlyFans, it’s like longer videos, full-on training sessions. You get to see what I’m actually working [on] versus just the highlight reel of things.”

Buntan is a decorated Muay Thai striker who has fought for ONE’s strawweight title. She’s one of the promotion’s recognizable American talents, and her openness about sponsorship is notable because ONE Championship has often pitched itself as a more traditional martial arts platform compared to the UFC’s entertainment-heavy model. Her comments underline a growing trend: even in organizations outside the UFC, fighters are increasingly leaning on non-fight income to sustain their careers.

Moreover, Jackie Buntan believes the OnlyFans platform is much more than what she or Paige VanZant use it for. People from all walks of life can use it for their benefit, and she claimed to have no business telling people how they should use it, and Buntan seems happy for the former UFC fighter, whose net worth reportedly stands at around $3 million, for being in a great financial position.

“Traditionally, it was made for that fan interaction. It’s not just for athletes. You can be an artist. a makeup artist, a singer, whatever. It’s anybody who wants to interact with their fans,” Jackie Buntan added. “I think Paige VanZant and I are using it in two complete different ways. I believe you could make a whole lot of money. All power to the people who are able to do that.”

Well, there is a reason why Paige VanZant has been using OnlyFans for so many years. She mentioned that the money she made was not only more than her UFC payouts, but it was indeed “life-changing.” Here’s what she had to say.

Paige VanZant claims OnlyFans changed her life

Paige VanZant was always popular for her looks and charm, and so, he always had other avenues to make money from, like modelling. In a 2023 interview, she admitted to being “really fortunate in my career.” The former UFC fighter claims that her aim has been to be a mainstream star, but there was a surge in demand when she became an online model. That’s what led her to OnlyFans and to become a millionaire shortly after.

“Even outside of the UFC and out of fighting has been pretty successful. I’ve worked pretty hard in other industries and trying to cross over, I guess (to) a more mainstream personality,” Paige VanZant said. “I did extremely well. It was life-changing money.”

Paige VanZant mentioned in the past that she did not want to get labeled as an OnlyFans girl and wanted to keep the doors for fighting open. But everything turned out to be okay, as she came back to compete in Dana White‘s Power Slap. It is the same for Jackie Buntan, who’s using her platform to share fighting knowledge and is happy. What do you think about her comments during the exclusive interview with Essentially Sports? Drop your comments below.