"People think we broke" - Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson says fans don't know how much money MMA fighters really make
Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson has provided his honest opinion regarding the fighter pay issue which has taken the sport of Mixed Martial Arts by storm in the past few months.
The fighter pay issue has been the topic of conversation lately due to Jake Paul's ongoing feud with UFC president Dana White. Over the past few months, 'The Problem Child' has accused White of underpaying his fighters.
During a recent interview with South China Morning Post, the former UFC fighter claimed fans have the wrong perception of thinking that some fighters are broke. Jackson noted that he personally never made a Floyd Mayweather-type payday but believes that some fighters have been quite stable financially.
"People think we broke, some people think that we don't make good money. You know, some MMA fighters did well. No, I never done Mayweather numbers, I never done, you know, the 30 million dollar paydays and the 20 million dollar paydays. I never made that type of money but some MMA fighters do okay," Jackson said.
Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson added that he isn't aware of everybody's pay structure. However, 'Rampage' claimed that the full payday for MMA fighters is usually never revealed to the public entirely as it's done in boxing.
"I don't know everybody's pay structure but what I can say is that they don't put the purse, MMA don't really put the purse out there like, what they really make, right? So y'all only see like the commission, what the commission pay the fighter. So y'all don't see the pay-per-view numbers and y'all don't see the actual purse because it's not public knowledge like boxing."
Check out Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson's interview with SCMP MMA below:
Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson previously claimed that he made the most money while fighting for the UFC
During a previous interview on the Yamatodamashii Podcast, Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson claimed that he made the most money while fighting for the UFC.
However, the former UFC light heavyweight champion did admit that he should've received a lot more from the promotion despite what he was already making.
"I made the most money I ever made fighting in the UFC. I did, you know. But, I didn't make what I felt like I was owed but you know, I made a lot of money in the UFC."
Check out the full episode of the podcast, featuring Quinton Jackson, below:
Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson was last in action under Bellator MMA. During the final stretch of his run with the company, Jackson faced Fedor Emelianenko on December 29, 2019, at a Bellator and Rizin co-produced event in Japan.
Jackson went on to lose the fight and then opted not to re-sign with Bellator, making him a free agent.