Demetrious Johnson, Francis Ngannou’s fighter pay revelations shed light on UFC contracts

Demetrious Johnson revealed how much he made in the UFC. 

The UFC’s fighter pay issues have become a hot topic lately. And on a recent Twitch stream, former UFC flyweight champion and current ONE Championship flyweight champion, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson got into the specifics of how much he made during his time in the UFC.

“When I fought Dominick Cruz, I was on a contract,” he said on the stream. “I think I was fighting for $14,000 and $14,000. I lost to Dominick Cruz, so I made $14K. Then I was about to fight Eddie Wineland, and that didn’t go through, so I fought Ian McCall in Australia. I was still on that same contract. And then I got a new contract when I fought Ian McCall the second time. I think I got bumped up to $20,000 and $20,000.”

Johnson revealed that he still made $20,000/$20,000 in his next fight against Joseph Benavidez, in which he became the UFC’s inaugural flyweight champion. He then followed with how much he made for his first three title defenses.

“When I fought John Dodson, I made $23,000 and $23,000,” he said. “And then when I fought John Moraga, it probably went to $26,000 and $26,000. And then when it was Joseph Benavidez, I think it was like $30,000 and $30,000.”

At this point, Johnson started questioning how much leverage he had as a champion. It took him three title defenses to earn a champions contract. But even then, it was not exactly rainbows and butterflies, he says.

“I finally got a new contract as champion, and I think it was $125,000 to show and $50,000 to win, but I couldn’t get pay-per-view points – and that’s where a champion makes most of their bang for their buck,” Johnson said. “Because if you get on a card with a Conor McGregor and he does 2.1 million buys, then you just do the f—ing math. You’re going to make a s—load of money. I never got the opportunity to do that.”

Demetrious Johnson’s complaints sound similar to Francis Ngannou’s UFC pay complaints

Johnson’s statements came just days after former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou appeared on the MMA Hour to answer questions about his recent departure from the organization. On Jan. 15, the UFC announced Jon Jones would return against Cyril Gane for the vacant heavyweight championship at UFC 285, and announced Ngannou was a free agent.

White said they offered Ngannou a contract that would have made him the highest-paid heavyweight in UFC history.

“Maybe Tyson Fury is a lesser opponent for Dana White,” Ngannou said, alluding to the teased boxing bout between the heavyweights. Ngannou discussed his negotiation with the UFC, speaking about how he asked for sponsorship rights, health insurance, and a fighter advocate to be present at UFC board meetings. He also proposed a three-fight extension, which included two fights with Jones and a bout with Stipe Miocic between them.

“I asked for a lot of things, which doesn’t mean I was expecting all those things,” Ngannou told Ariel Helwani. “But I was expecting one or two out of those things.”

Johnson and Ngannou are not the first fighters to speak up about the issue. However, hearing their experiences within close proximity of each other has shed a light on the struggles of being a UFC fighter, let alone a champion. If fighters of their caliber were not given the right pay, treatment, or respect for different reasons, you could only imagine what fighters at the bottom of the rankings experience.