Paige VanZant has now fought in the UFC eight times, and she is not happy with the way the organization has compensated her for the entertainment she provides.
In an appearance on “Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show” on ESPN Monday, VanZant said she is not making nearly enough money fighting in the UFC. To give some perspective, she said she makes more money through endorsements with her Instagram photos than she does inside the Octagon.
“I make way more money sitting at home, posting pictures on Instagram, than I do fighting.”@paigevanzant says her endorsement earnings greatly outpace her fight earnings (via @arielhelwani) pic.twitter.com/dpdANFcbxU
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 26, 2019
“I want a significant pay raise, to be completely honest,” VanZant said, as transcribed by Jorge Alonso of Bro Bible. “I’ve just been extremely accomplished outside of the UFC, as well as inside of the UFC. Five wins in the UFC, four finishes, I’ve been main event twice, and I think someone with those accolades should be paid more.”
Here’s an example of the type of endorsement VanZant claims is paying her more than she makes in the UFC:
VanZant doesn’t dominate the UFC like some other female fighters have, as she has just two wins in her last five fights. However, she is one of the bigger draws on the women’s side, which isn’t surprising considering she has more than 2 million Instagram followers.
VanZant has spoken in the past about pursuing opportunities outside of fighting, and she seems to be doing a good job of creating other sources of revenue for herself. Still, you can understand why she may feel her paycheck isn’t in line with her popularity.
