Most people didn’t expect Joe Rogan to speak against the UFC fighter pay issue because of his cordial relationship with Dana White. But the UFC commentator couldn’t stop himself from slamming the UFC’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings, for allegedly underpaying fighters despite the massive $7.7 billion Paramount+ deal.  

“I hate all of it,” Rogan said in a JRE episode with Brendan Schaub. “I hate people that have to ask for bonuses. You know, look, the money is there, right? We know the money’s there. This is a $7 billion deal. I’m not a businessman, I’ll say that right now. 

“Listen, all this is hippie talk. But, I feel like if I owned the UFC, I would not feel good if people didn’t feel compensated correctly. This is just my feeling, and I’m not a good businessman. If you want to be a good businessman, you’ve got to make the most money possible.”  

When it comes to fighter pay, Joe Rogan has been a vocal critic of the company’s compensation practices toward its fighters. He criticized the UFC for reportedly sharing only 16-20% of its overall profits with athletes and recently used an interesting example to support his argument. Rogan compared the UFC’s business model to that of his comedy club, Comedy Mothership, to explain how he would’ve run the business.

During a podcast episode with Dustin Poirier, the color commentator addressed how comedians perform at his establishment and revealed that he pays them 80% of the revenue, while the club keeps the remaining 20%. Using that same reasoning, Rogan believes UFC fighters should also receive the lion’s share of the profits rather than the company. However, the 58-year-old repeatedly claimed that he is not a businessman, implying that he may not fully understand the finer details of the UFC’s business operations.

Dana White has remained positive that fighter pay will rise under the Paramount+ $7.7 billion deal, citing the historical growth of base salaries. Still, fighters like Chris Padilla drew attention after asking the promotion for financial help. Following his second-round knockout over Ismael Bonfim at UFC Vegas 111, Padilla pleaded with the UFC brass for a bonus to help support his mother, whom he revealed lives in a “trailer.” 

Though the situation happened under the ESPN deal, it provides an outlook on UFC fighters struggling with their base pay, which is why many of them end up asking for bonuses, something Rogan has openly criticized.

With TKO facing questions from figures like Ronda Rousey and Joe Rogan regarding fighter pay, a TKO executive recently shared a positive outlook for fighter compensation in UFC. 

TKO exec shares encouraging update on UFC fighter pay   

The UFC has definitely been facing heat from almost everywhere regarding the fighter pay issue. But every now and then, there are some positive developments on that front. Speaking about an increase in athlete compensation, Mark Shapiro, the Chief Operating Officer of TKO Group Holdings, revealed that the company is aiming for 6.1% EBITDA growth under the Paramount+ deal this year, which would also translate into increased fighter and superstar pay.

“Our margins last year were, adjusted for EBITDA, 33.5%,” Shapiro said during the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference. “We have announced a midpoint in our guidance; we’re going to be roughly 39.6%, and that margin is inclusive of an increase of fighter and superstar pay. We take that very seriously.

“We are focused on all the ingredients that make our events what they are, and that starts with fighters and superstars. Whatever increases we have, and we will have increases, that are inclusive of the margins and guidance we have targeted.”

The UFC started its Paramount+ CBS deal in January, and we are already six months into it. So, as the promotion looks to close the year on a positive note, it is expected that fighter pay could gradually increase. Especially with the rival Most Valuable Promotions, reportedly offering $40K in base pay compared to the UFC’s $12K to show and win.