UFC fighter is once more taking the highlight. Jared Cannonier is asking for a seven-figure UFC contract after years close to the highest of the middleweight division. The veteran says his resume ought to carry extra monetary weight as he returns in opposition to Christian Leroy Duncan on July 18 in Oklahoma Metropolis.
Jared Cannonier has been across the UFC lengthy sufficient to know the place he stands. The 42-year-old middleweight has fought at heavyweight, gentle heavyweight and 185 kilos, constructed an 18-9 document, challenged Israel Adesanya for the UFC title, and has spent years preventing established names on main playing cards.
Jared Cannonier Takes UFC Fighter Pay Debate Head-On
However Cannonier says his contract doesn’t mirror that degree of service. Chatting with Full Ship MMA forward of his conflict with Christian Leroy Duncan, “The Killa Gorilla” gave a direct evaluation of what he believes he ought to earn.
“I wish to receives a commission the identical means the very best degree athletes in any sport receives a commission,” Cannonier stated. “I ought to have million greenback contracts on the stage I’m in. I’ve been high 10 for seven, eight years. I’m not complaining, but it surely’s how I really feel.”
Cannonier was speaking from the place of a fighter who has been a contender, carried main-event obligations and remained related in one of many UFC’s deepest weight lessons. His greatest alternative got here at UFC 276 in July 2022, when he went 5 rounds with Adesanya for the middleweight belt. Cannonier misplaced a unanimous resolution, however the title shot adopted a run that included a end of Derek Brunson.
Different Leagues and Lawsuits
UFC fighter compensation has remained considered one of MMA’s longest-running arguments. Lawsuits introduced by former UFC athletes alleged the promotion paid fighters roughly 10 % to 17 % of occasion income, whereas gamers within the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL obtain greater than half of league income via collective bargaining preparations. Below the WNBA’s new 2026 collective bargaining settlement, the minimal base wage begins at $270,000 for a participant with no league service and rises with expertise, with the common participant now incomes $583,000.
The primary main antitrust case, Le v. Zuffa, ended with court docket approval of a $375 million settlement in February 2025. It covers greater than 1,100 fighters who competed in UFC bouts between December 16, 2010, and June 30, 2017. A separate case, Johnson v. Zuffa, covers fighters from July 2017 onward and stays within the authorized system. Its claims embody allegations that the UFC used unique contracts and market management to suppress fighter earnings; the UFC has disputed these allegations.
Cannonier’s level lands in the midst of that argument. A fighter generally is a title challenger, a well-known face and a dependable headliner, then nonetheless really feel miles away from the cash connected to star athletes in different leagues.
Cannonier meets England’s Christian Leroy Duncan in a middleweight bout at UFC Oklahoma Metropolis on July 18. Cannonier enters ranked No. 9 at 185 kilos, whereas Duncan arrives with a 14-2 document and an opportunity to attain the most important win of his UFC run.
