Paige VanZant says promoting brands on Instagram would be far more lucrative than fighting in the UFC.
VanZant is a UFC women’s flyweight fighter. She’s scheduled to take on Amanda Ribas on the main card of UFC 251. The action will take place inside the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 11.
Paige VanZant Talks UFC Fighter Pay
Fighter pay has become a hot topic in MMA. In particular, UFC fighters past and present have been speaking out more. Speaking to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, VanZant admitted that there are far more lucrative opportunities over fighting (via BJPenn.com).
“Everyone knows how much I make. I make $46,000 to fight. $46,000 to show and $46,000 to win. I’m not going to hide than because everybody knows. I can make way more money than that just promoting brands on Instagram. That should say something. Why would I step away from all the amazing success I had on Dancing with the Stars? I made more money on Dancing with the Stars than I have in my entire UFC career combined. Every fight, every win, every bonus. And it just shows that the money is out there,” Paige VanZant said.
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Jorge Masvidal have expressed their gripes with the UFC over pay. Jones has threatened to vacate the light heavyweight title until he is given a satisfactory offer for his next fight. Masvidal turned down a UFC welterweight title shot when he was offered just half the money he made fighting Nate Diaz back in Nov. 2019. Masvidal has also called into question the revenue split for fighters when compared to other major sports organizations.
When asked about these grumblings, UFC president Dana White has pointed to the COVID-19 crisis. The UFC boss believes fighters are in panic mode due to the situation. He has dismissed the idea that the problem truly lies in the UFC’s business model.
