A rising UFC welterweight contender expressed strong feelings about the pay disparity between mixed martial arts and boxing, taking to social media to voice his frustrations.
Joaquin Buckley, currently ranked sixth in his division, shared his thoughts on X, particularly focusing on what he perceives as an unfair financial gap between the two combat sports.
“NGL I look at boxing right now and all the boxers and say to myself y the f**k are these dude making more than me. I’d beat the dog out of these pugilists b***hes this era so weak 😤 A lot of these boxing mfs not bout none of the sh*t they be talkin but here we are watching mfs get all the love and attention plus the bag… Tired of this sh*t somebody got to die. I’m not hating I’m just hungry I’ll feel better once I eat,” Buckley wrote.
Combat sports analyst Luke Thomas offered a straightforward response to Buckley’s comments, simply stating: “It’s the business model.”
The discussion comes amid strong financial performance from TKO Group Holdings, which oversees UFC operations. The company reported impressive fourth-quarter results, with total revenue reaching $642.2 million and net income of $47.5 million. For the full year 2024, TKO achieved sales of $2.8 billion, exceeding Wall Street expectations.
UFC has demonstrated its commercial power, particularly at Madison Square Garden, where UFC 309 generated $16.7 million, marking the second-highest gross in the venue’s history. The organization holds seven of the top ten highest-grossing events at the iconic arena.
Looking ahead, TKO projects combined revenue between $2.93 billion and $3 billion for 2025, with analysts anticipating even higher figures following planned acquisitions of On Location, IMG, and PBR from Endeavor Group.
