"We're gonna send you a million dollars" - Daniel Cormier recalls being elated by Dana White's phone call after first Jon Jones fight
Daniel Cormier is pushing back against the narrative that the UFC underpays its fighters, revealing how they often throw big bonuses to headliners if an event performs well.
Cormier had a very profitable run with the UFC from 2013 to 2020, winning the light heavyweight and heavyweight belts with the promotion. He learned after his first title fight that Dana White took care of his draws. In a new episode of The Pivot Podcast, Cormier said:
"Back in 2015 I fought Jon Jones for the first time. I lost ... So I was like 'Man, for all that, I'm going to make $150,000 ... that's crazy.' Dana calls me two days later. 'Hey man, y'all killed it. Numbers were out of this world.' He goes 'We're going to send you a million dollars.' Dude sent me a million dollar check the next day just because he said I did a great job."
Daniel Cormier went on to detail how things worked when Lorenzo Fertitta still owned the UFC. If a champion didn't make a million dollars off a title fight after their purse and pay-per-view cut was added together, Fertitta would pay the difference. 'DC' also said the official purse numbers shared with commissions weren't accurate.
"A lot of times, in those fight purses, you don't don't see the real numbers either. You'll see $500k, when the reality is four times, five times that. But Dana has this thought, and it's the absolute truth, when you first got paid how many new family members did you get? 'Hey cuz, I got this business idea!' So they try to protect the athlete a little bit by not showing exactly what you make. A lot of it's hidden, and then you make money on the pay-per-view side. So if you become a guy like Conor, like Jones, like Izzy, you start getting $2 a buy, $3 a buy $4 a buy, then that money starts building up."
Watch Daniel Cormier discuss the UFC pay structure below:
Daniel Cormier would only return to action for a light heavyweight title fight
Daniel Cormier is happily retired and isn't thinking about a comeback. However, in a recent interview 'DC' reiterated that it would take a title fight to draw him back into the octagon. Specifically, a light heavyweight title shot. He said:
"I don't deserve a shot at the heavyweight title. If I was ever going to fight again - which I don't want to - I would have to go all the way back to 205 pounds. Why? Let me tell you why. Because I didn't lose. Remember, I vacated. I didn't want to go back down there when Jones was gonna fight Gustafsson, so because I vacated the title now, maybe there is some potential in it: ‘Hey Dana, you think I could fight Jiri Prochazka for the title?'"
It's not something that Daniel Cormier is seriously considering, but for the right amount of money anything is possible. Cormier added that he turns 44 years old next March, and Randy Couture won the heavyweight belt at 45. So there's still some time before he has to close the door completely on the idea.
"The Natural" @Randy_Couture became the oldest champion in UFC history 13 years ago today.Not bad for an old man. 😄 "The Natural" @Randy_Couture became the oldest champion in UFC history 13 years ago today.
Can @YoelRomeroMMA follow in his footsteps at #UFC248, fending off Father Time and capturing UFC gold at 42 years old? https://t.co/aI3SpifgjR