Justin Gaethje has claimed he is not earning “$1 more” despite the UFC’s new broadcast deal with Paramount+, which is worth $7.7bn.
On Saturday night, Gaethje will headline the first event of the UFC’s Paramount+ era, fighting Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight title.
Ahead of that bout at Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena, the UFC’s long-criticised fighter pay has been a hot topic of discussion, with many fans hoping that it might increase.
But that is not the case, according to Gaethje, who claimed at Wednesday’s media day: “I hear [UFC champion-turned commentator] Daniel Cormier saying everybody is going to get paid more on this card.
“I’m not getting $1 more than I would have if this deal did not happen.”
Gaethje, 37, is known as one of the UFC’s most-entertaining fighters, having produced – and been on the wrong end of – many all-time great knockouts. Yet he added that his post-fight bonuses have also not amounted to the kind of money that one would hope.
“To have 14 bonuses and not equal up to $1m is not right,” said the American. “It’s not right.
“It should be a lot more than that, and I should have had opportunities to do smarter things with my money, but I don’t and I haven’t.”
In 2025, Gaethje threatened to retire from mixed martial arts if he did not get a title shot in his next fight. In December, it was announced that he would face Liverpool’s Pimblett for an interim version of the lightweight belt, while regular champion Ilia Topuria takes a short break from the sport.
Gaethje previously held the interim title in 2020, failing to unify the belts against then-regular champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. He also came up short in an undisputed-title fight in 2022, losing to Charles Oliveira via submission – the same way Khabib beat Gaethje.
Many fans felt that Gaethje should not receive a title fight of any kind in his next bout, given his past opportunities and his somewhat disappointing recent form.
The American outpointed Rafael Fiziev last time out, but that result in March 2025 followed a brutal loss to Max Holloway in his previous bout. Holloway, moving up from featherweight, dominated Gaethje before knocking him out in the final second of their 25-minute contest.
Meanwhile, Pimblett is unbeaten in the UFC but fans have questioned the calibre of his opposition. In his most-recent fight, in April, the British star beat former MMA champion Michael Chandler by TKO, but the latter was 1-4 in his five previous outings.
Still, Gaethje vs Pimblett is a fan-friendly match-up, and a victory for the latter should set up a grudge match with bitter rival Topuria.
