“I’m not getting $1 more than I would have if this deal didn’t happen.” That’s what Justin Gaethje said when talking about bonuses and fighter pay after the new UFC broadcasting deal. But contradictory to Gaethje’s claims, one of his rivals, Dan Hooker, has stated otherwise.

UFC’s new broadcasting deal with Paramount Skydance Corporation (operators of CBS Sports and Paramount+) came in with a lot of expectation and improvement on the overall operations of the promotion. With Gaethje headlining the first Paramount event, he expected a pay rise. But his request was allegedly denied. This situation caused some confusion, as Dana White had indicated otherwise. Now Hooker has given his views, which back White’s say on the matter.

Dan Hooker claims getting a pay rise

“Ding Ding! My manager answered the call. He got back to me. My manager passed on the information. And you know what I said? I said, sold! I will take the pay rise, my brother. I’m getting paid, my boy,” said Hooker during a discussion with Ariel Helwani.

Hooker particularly highlighted how he and his manager responded to UFC’s offer. And interestingly, that’s something which Gaethje and his manager may have ignored. At least CEO Dana White claims that: “And Gaethje, without getting into all that stuff, Gaethje was offered more money, and Gaethje never responded.”

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As Hooker gets ready to face Benoit Saint Denis this weekend at UFC 325 in Australia, his statements on pay rise are contradictory to what ‘The Highlight’ said. Amid the controversy surrounding the UFC 324 fighter pay, ‘The Highlight’ made his 15th UFC appearance on the match card. And following the event, Gaethje reportedly took home over $2.8 million, along with a $100,000 ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus. While the monetary reward was quite massive, the American also aligned himself with a big fight opportunity.

After defeating Paddy Pimblett, ‘The Highlight’ became a two-time interim lightweight champion. And with that, Gaethje now has a chance to fight for the UFC lightweight gold against Ilia Topuria, a matchup that many in the community are expecting to see.

Former UFC champions call for Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje fight at the White House

Ilia Topuria won the vacant UFC lightweight title by beating Charles Oliveira last year. And for his first title defense, ‘El Matador’ is eyeing a return between April and June. Interestingly, the timeline perfectly aligns with the UFC White House event, which is expected to take place on June 14. As a result, former UFC champions Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo want to see Topuria fight Gaethje on that card.

“I believe with the performance this man has delivered each and every time, I believe Justin and Ilia potentially becomes the headliner for the card,” said Usman during a discussion on the Pound 4 Pound podcast. Cejudo immediately agreed to Usman’s take and highlighted a perfect picture for the White House card: “In the perfect picture, you’d want Justin to fight Ilia, beat him at the White House while being an American.”

If Gaethje fights Topuria at the White House card, he will be standing as the only active male American UFC champion. And for him to capitalize on that opportunity would be massive for his legacy in the promotion. On that note, who do you think wins between Gaethje and Topuria? Let us know in the comments below!