Johnson reveals amount he got for first title fight

UFC legend Demetrious Johnson has admitted he was only given an amount of $14,000 for his title match against Dominick Cruz in 2011.

Johnson, who is regarded as one of the best MMA fighters of all time, spent seven years fighting for the UFC before switching to the Singaporean banner ONE Championship.

Johnson competed against Cruz for the UFC's first bantamweight championship after the WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting) and the promotion's UFC combined in 2010.

On a recent Twitch stream, the former UFC fighter startled viewers by disclosing his $14,000 purse for the bout, which is just $4,000 more than the lowest pay UFC fighters currently receive.

"When I fought Dominick Cruz, I was under contract fighting for $14,000 to show and $14,000 to win. I lost to Cruz, so I made 14k. Then I fought Ian McCall in Australia and I was on the same contract. When I fought Ian McCall for the second time, I got a new contract that was bumped up to $20,000 [per show] and $20,000 [per win]," Johnson said.

Johnson wasn't promised a six-figure salary until three years with the UFC and four fights into his reign as flyweight champion.

"I beat Ian McCall and then I fought Joseph Benavidez. I was still on that $20,000 and $20,000, so when I fought John Dodson I made $23,000 and $23,000.

"Then when I fought John Moraga, I think it was $23,000 and $23,000, so it probably went $26,000 and $26,000. Then when I fought Joseph Benavidez [in a rematch], I think it was $30,000 and $30,000. Then I finally got a new contract as champion, and I think it was $125,000 and $50,000, but I couldn't get pay-per-view points."

Johnson said that receiving a large bout purse is influenced by pay-per-view points, which are earned when a fighter receives a portion of an event's sales. Only a few UFC competitors receive pay-per-view points, and despite being one of the promotion's longest-reigning champions, Johnson never received one throughout his time competing for the company.

Comments

Submit