Jake Paul claims Ronda Rousey is being paid more for her Netflix comeback fight than UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria earns for title defenses.
Speaking on the Death Row MMA show with Jorge Masvidal, Paul made the claim while discussing pay for Saturday’s MVP MMA 1 event on Netflix, headlined by Rousey vs. Gina Carano at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
“Here’s what I can say: I know how much Ronda Rousey is making for this event and it’s a lot more than what Ilia Topuria makes for fighting.”
Topuria next defends his title against Justin Gaethje at UFC White House on June 14. Paul also claimed undercard fighters on Saturday’s card will earn significantly more than their UFC counterparts, stating pay is “definitely more than the UFC by a lot.” No fighter on the Rousey vs. Carano undercard will earn less than $40,000, with Rousey, Nate Diaz, and Francis Ngannou all expected to receive pay exceeding what they would have earned for comparable UFC appearances.
Masvidal, who retired in 2023 following a loss to Gilbert Burns, pushed back on the idea that entry-level UFC pay needs fixing, while agreeing that mid-tier and ranked fighters deserve more.
“I like the way you see it, but to be honest with you, in fighting, that 12 and 12 or when I was fighting it was, like, 4 and 4, that’s still like [six times] of what you make on the regional side. It’s good money if you do get there, but where we do need a dramatic change is more like when you’re in the top 10, top 15 already.”
Paul countered that better base pay would improve the overall talent pool by allowing fighters to train full-time rather than working second jobs.
“I think the difference is it would create better talent and better fighters because they wouldn’t have to be working other jobs in between training sessions. It would actually grow the sport in the long run if these people making the minimum pay didn’t have to go be a teacher or a janitor or work for UPS.”