Former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub found himself in an awkward position after making bold claims about increased compensation structures within the UFC following the Paramount deal. His narrative proved to be a lie when Justin Gaethje’s actual experiences came to light.
Schaub stated on his show that a UFC insider informed him every MMA star’s pay would be doubling under new arrangements.
On his podcast, Schaub spoke with absolute certainty about an imminent pay bump, claiming inside knowledge of the UFC’s plans. “I can guarantee the UFC is going to raise fighter pay, guarantee it. They’re going to do it,” he said, before repeatedly suggesting that contracts could be doubled across the roster.
Schaub even broke down the math behind the supposed increase, arguing that if the UFC “doubled everything.” He stated that performance bonuses would rise to $75,000, adding $4.3 million to total fighter pay.
Schaub also stated that the minimum contract would be raised to $14,000 to show and $14,000 to win would inject “another $10 million more across the board.” Referencing figures shared by MMA analyst John Nash, Schaub framed the changes as both realistic and inevitable, presenting them as proof that competitors were on the verge of a meaningful financial upgrade.
UFC insider Bapa told everyone fighter pay was doubling. How’d that go?
byu/dandykaufman2 inthefighterandthekid
The claim seemed designed to support the promotion’s recent transition away from pay-per-view events toward a direct streaming partnership with Paramount.
However, the assertion quickly fell apart when Justin Gaethje publicly revealed his frustration about compensation. The lightweight contender noted he had received 14 performance bonuses throughout his UFC tenure without those rewards combining to reach a million dollars.
Gaethje stated, “To have 14 bonuses and not equal $1 billion, it’s not right. It should be a lot more than that. I should have had opportunities to do smarter things with my money but I don’t, and I haven’t. I hear Daniel Cormier said everyone’s gonna get paid more in this card, I’m not getting one dollar more I would have if this did not happen.”
He also added that he wasn’t offered to renegotiate his contract. This reality stood in stark contrast to Schaub’s optimistic predictions about enhanced earnings.
The situation became more complex when former lightweight Al Iaquinta entered the conversation. Iaquinta leaked direct messages from 2018 showing his attempts to organize a united approach to negotiations with Gaethje.
Daniel Cormier presented a more positive interpretation of current compensation structures. He suggested MMA stars are already receiving improved terms under new arrangements.
“They’re already getting more money, that’s the difference,” Cormier said during an appearance with Josh Thomson.
“I know guys now, ‘Well pay-per-view’s going away, what are they going to do?’ I know guys now that are making more money than they did even when they were making pay-per-view, because pay-per-views just maybe weren’t selling as much as they used to,” he explained.
Cormier added that guaranteed compensation might benefit competitors more than variable pay-per-view points when broadcast numbers fluctuate.
“Today, a big pay-per-view number was 600,000, 500,000 – pay-per-views just didn’t sell as much,” he said.
“I know guys now that said, ‘Hey, can I restructure with the idea that pay-per-view is gone?’ The UFC’s like, ‘Yes,’ and now it’s like guaranteed money. They’re doing that,” he added.
UFC CEO Dana White addressed the Gaethje situation specifically in a podcast, claiming the organization sent an improved offer that went unanswered.
“We completely have it dialed in,” White said regarding the new compensation system.
“We’ve got really smart kids, they can get down to within single digits on how close it would be to pay them like it was pay-per-view. Without getting into all that stuff, Gaethje was offered more money, and Gaethje never responded,” he added.
Dana White responds to Justin Gaethje’s recent comments:
Without getting into all that stuff, Gaethje was offered more money and Gaethje never responded. pic.twitter.com/A4LPTaOquO
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) January 22, 2026
While Schaub promoted insider information for his own benefit, Cormier promoted his employer, Gaethje’s public statements painted a different picture.
