Justin Gaethje wasn’t interested in spinning optics or softening edges. He wanted answers about his UFC pay. And when he finally got Daniel Cormier in front of him, the frustration spilled out in real time.

‘The Highlight’ will be headlining UFC 324, the first event under the UFC’s $7.7 billion, seven-year CBS–Paramount deal. Publicly, the message has been optimistic. Cormier has said fighters would be getting paid more, something Gaethje alluded to in his media day interview. Boss Dana White has hinted at the same.

But Gaethje, the UFC’s all-time leader in Fight Night bonuses, says none of that has shown up on his end, and that disconnect is what lit the fuse.

During a tense exchange during an interview with Cormier, Gaethje didn’t ease into it. “You’re out here saying everybody’s getting paid more, and you’re f— lying. Why would you say that?” he said, cutting straight to the point.

When Cormier tried to slow things down with a “wait,” Gaethje kept pushing. “Why would you talk out of your a– when you have no idea what’s happening?”

The former champ-champ pushed back, insisting he did know what he was talking about. That only sharpened Gaethje’s response. “Oh, you know that I’m getting paid more than I would have if this deal didn’t happen?” he asked. Cormier immediately tried to clarify, saying he never claimed everybody was getting paid more.

Gaethje wasn’t buying it. “You said every single guy,” he fired back. What followed was less about semantics and more about trust.

The lightweight star accused Cormier of “throwing us under the bus, making us look stupid,” arguing that public claims about higher pay put fighters in a bad position when their own contracts don’t reflect those statements. Cormier denied that, saying he wasn’t getting paid extra himself. “I don’t get paid nothing. I do this for free. I do this to help you. I love you,” he said.

Gaethje’s response landed like a gut punch. “See? And that’s how you lie to the people, just like that.”

The UFC recently settled the Le v. Zuffa antitrust lawsuit for $375 million, compensating fighters from 2010–2017 for alleged pay suppression. Another case, Johnson v. Zuffa, is still ongoing. Fighter pay isn’t just a hot topic, it’s an unresolved one.

So when Justin Gaethje hears optimistic claims from respected voices like Daniel Cormier, it hits a nerve. Is it misinformation or a misunderstanding? That’s the uncomfortable question left hanging after their confrontation, and Dana White’s response to ‘The Highlight’s claims only added another layer of confusion.

Dana White claims Justin Gaethje was offered “more money” but did not respond

According to the UFC CEO, this situation isn’t as simple as Gaethje made it sound. While Gaethje told reporters he’s “not getting one dollar more” for UFC 324 under the new Paramount deal, White went on The Pat McAfee Show and offered a very different version of events.

His message was blunt. “Gaethje, without getting into all that stuff, Gaethje was offered more money, and Gaethje never responded,” White said.

That single claim shifts the spotlight entirely. If true, it raises an obvious question: why didn’t Gaethje respond?

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The UFC head honcho didn’t stop there. He reiterated that the UFC has already mapped out how to replace pay-per-view revenue now that every event airs on Paramount+.

“We completely have it dialed in,” he said, explaining that the promotion brought in analysts who could calculate payouts “within single digits” of what fighters previously earned through PPV points.

On paper, that sounds airtight. In practice, it doesn’t line up with Gaethje’s lived experience. The man with 14 bonuses in 14 fights, still short of $1 million in bonus money, says nothing has changed for him. White says an offer was there, and that’s where trust starts to fray.

Justin Gaethje didn’t accuse Daniel Cormier or Dana White for attention; he did it because his reality doesn’t match the promises being sold. As the UFC enters a new, billion-dollar era, his confrontation leaves behind a simple but uncomfortable truth: until fighter pay is transparent, these questions won’t fade; they’ll only get louder.