Ronda Rousey might not be satisfied with what the UFC pays its fighters. However, one of the fighters within the promotion, middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev, appears more than satisfied with his paychecks. And the Chechen fighter has now spoken out in defense of the Dana White-led MMA promotion, while blasting the former UFC star. 

Rousey, who is set to face Gina Carano live on Netflix on May 16 in Inglewood, California, on a card promoted by Most Valuable Promotions, has been an outspoken critic of the UFC fighter pay in the lead-up to her mega fight. She also revealed that fighters on her card are making four times more ($40K) than in the UFC. But Khamzat Chimaev sees things differently!

“There would never have been Ronda Rousey without UFC,” Chimaev said in his first YouTube video on his channel. “I hate this, like [ungrateful]. If they pay good or don’t pay good, who cares? When she was [an] Olympic champ, what did she make then?”

Even though Chimaev makes a good point against Ronda Rousey, he doesn’t have to be the one to receive an abysmally low paycheck. Chimaev is undefeated and one of the biggest stars within the promotion. Naturally, his paychecks are way more than a fighter on his undercard would get. Leaving fighters like him, most new fighters struggle to even make a living. 

From the money they do get, fighters have to pay for their camp, trainers, and more, and have enough left over to live. Combine that with irregular fights, and living a normal life is nearly impossible, which is why a lot of fighters have second jobs. In any case, UFC has increased its profit margins in recent years, but the UFC’s entry rate hasn’t changed. 

talkSPORT reported that it’s been $10,000 to show and $10,000 to win since 2015. If you take an average, the UFC pays its fighters a mere 20% of its revenue, as opposed to boxing, where it’s around 60%. And if the UFC doesn’t underpay its fighters, why did they settle an antitrust lawsuit for $375 million in 2024? In the lawsuit, 1,067 fighters were compensated for being underpaid from 2010 to 2017.

Regardless, Chimaev is set to face Sean Strickland on May 9 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Perhaps the Chechen fighter is cozying up to the promotion, expecting a boost in his own paycheck. Interestingly, though, there are two more antitrust lawsuits against the promotion for underpaying its fighters. 

Khamzat Chimaev might not know about the antitrust lawsuits against the UFC

Legal pressure on the UFC has intensified. Previously, Judge Richard Boulware ruled that the $335 million agreement tied to Le v. Zuffa and Johnson v. Zuffa did not adequately compensate fighters. And what’s more, it failed to address restrictive contract terms such as arbitration clauses and class-action waivers. 

A revised $375 million deal for the Le class has since moved forward. But you know what, the Johnson case remains unresolved, keeping significant financial risk on the table. In the meantime, new lawsuits have compounded the issue. Misha Cirkunov filed a case targeting fighters excluded from prior actions due to arbitration provisions, directly challenging their legality. 

And adding to that, Phil Davis is seeking injunctive relief that would allow fighters to exit UFC contracts after one year. If this proves to be successful, it could fundamentally alter the promotion’s business model. 

That said, Khamzat Chimaev’s criticism of Ronda Rousey may reflect his own position within the promotion. If he were in the place of a lower-paid fighter earning only a fraction of top-tier purses, his perspective might not be the same.