UFC light-weight Michael Chandler believes the promotion’s large $7.7 billion broadcasting take care of Paramount will profit fighters by means of trickle-down means.
Chatting with MMA Junkie on the UFC 324 pink carpet, Chandler addressed the promotion’s new bonus construction and the implications of the landmark deal that introduced all UFC occasions to Paramount+ starting in 2026.
Michael Chandler Says UFC’s Paramount Cash Will Trickle All the way down to Fighters
“It’s actually cool. I imply, clearly you recognize my résumé – nearly each single one in every of my fights I’ve gotten a bonus, so I ought to have somewhat bit more cash in my checking account. I’m glad for that going ahead,” Chandler mentioned. “And I feel it’s just a bit little bit of a foreshadowing of what this appears to be like like, this new period of the UFC.”
“It’s been broadly documented how large this deal was for the UFC, and all people can say, ‘Ah, the UFC, the large unhealthy capitalist making all this cash.’ It’s going to trickle down. We simply want to seek out the avenues and the way it’s going to go, plus this nice alternative and the nice platform.”
The seven-year settlement with Paramount, price a median of $1.1 billion yearly, represents almost double the UFC’s earlier media rights earnings from ESPN. Below the deal, all 13 numbered occasions and 30 Battle Nights will stream solely on Paramount+, with choose occasions simulcasting on CBS.
Chandler’s invocation of “trickle-down economics” echoes supply-side principles popularized during Ronald Reagan’s presidency in the 1980s, which theorized that increased corporate earnings and reduced taxes would spur investment, job creation, and wage growth for workers. However, decades of economic information have largely contradicted this premise. Research examining the Reagan period and subsequent tax cuts present that whereas company earnings and government compensation surged, wage progress for employees stagnated and wealth inequality widened considerably.
A serious shift eliminates the pay-per-view mannequin that beforehand price followers $79.99 per main occasion on prime of their ESPN+ subscription. All UFC content material now comes included with a regular Paramount+ subscription beginning at roughly $12.99 month-to-month.
The deal prompted immediate changes to fighter compensation. UFC doubled post-fight bonuses from $50,000 to $100,000 for Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night awards. Moreover, the promotion launched a brand new $25,000 bonus for any fighter who scores a knockout or submission victory, even when they don’t obtain one of many principal bonuses.
“I wish it would have changed it a couple years ago,” Chandler said of the increased bonuses. He noted the new structure could particularly benefit lower-tier fighters on entry-level contracts. “You got a guy in here who’s on one of the lower tiers, not making a lot of money, all of a sudden you somehow find yourself in a performance of the night because you end up with a really awesome knockout or a really awesome submission. All of a sudden, now you just made an extra 100,000. You put a down payment on a house, quit your job.”
Chandler has earned post-fight bonuses in five of his six UFC appearances, including Fight of the Night honors for his battles with Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira. His bonus resume consists of his debut knockout of Dan Hooker, his spectacular front-kick end of Tony Ferguson, and a number of Battle of the Night time awards which have netted him lots of of hundreds in extra earnings.
UFC 324 marked the promotion’s first event under the Paramount deal, drawing 4.96 million views in its streaming debut. The card featured the new bonus structure, with at least $400,000 guaranteed in performance bonuses per event compared to the previous $200,000 standard.
Mark Shapiro, president and chief operating officer of TKO Group, the UFC’s parent company, praised the deal as a “milestone and landmark agreement” that provides “meaningful economics for investors” and noted that “our athletes will love this new stage”.
The former Bellator light-weight champion is presently searching for his subsequent battle, ideally towards Conor McGregor on the proposed UFC White Home occasion scheduled for July 4, 2026. “Greatest case situation, it’s me and Connor. Worst case situation, I’m nonetheless combating on the White Home and combating another person and it is going to be an superior badass matchup and I’ll steal the present and I’ll find yourself with a kind of bonuses.”
