UFC fighters get small pay increase under Venum deal
Fighters will make slightly more money than before under the UFC's new uniform deal with Venum.
The deal, which took effect Thursday, will see incremental bumps in pay from the promotion's apparel deal with Reebok, UFC senior executive vice president and chief operating officer Lawrence Epstein told ESPN's Marc Raimondi.
UFC 260 on March 27 was the last event under the Reebok deal, which took effect in 2015. The promotion will unveil the Venum fight kits next week, and fighters will wear the new uniforms for the first time at UFC Fight Night on April 10.
The UFC has increased its "fight week incentive pay" for all athletes under the Venum deal. The total increase will be about $1 million annually, according to Epstein. Here's a breakdown of the new and old pay structures:
| Tier of fighter | Money per fight under Reebok | Money per fight under Venum |
|---|---|---|
| Champions | $40K | $42K |
| Title challengers | $30K | $32K |
| 21+ UFC bouts | $20K | $21K |
| 16-20 UFC bouts | $15K | $16K |
| 11-15 UFC bouts | $10K | $11K |
| 6-10 UFC bouts | $5K | $6K |
| 4-5 UFC bouts | $4K | $4.5K |
| 1-3 UFC bouts | $3.5K | $4K |
Epstein said "essentially" the entire value of the UFC's deal with Venum will go to the fighters.
"This is not a profit center for us," Epstein said. "Whether it's cash out the door or (whether) it's product, we're delivering it to the athletes. All the value is essentially going to them. We're not really making anything on this. We do feel the look and feel of the product itself is great for the UFC brand, but when it comes to cash, it's all going to the athletes, whether in actual cash or product."