Jared Cannonier won’t complain about UFC fighter pay, but admits current structure needs work

Jared Cannonier believes he understands how the UFC’s business model works, but he thinks fighters at certain tiers should be given increases.

Cannonier has been a member of the UFC roster since 2015. While he hasn’t captured the top prize in the middleweight division, the 42-year-old has consistently hovered around the top 10 and even top five rankings throughout his run. With 20 fights under the UFC banner, Cannonier still feels he hasn’t been compensated close to his actual worth.

Speaking to Full Send MMA, “The Killa Gorilla” said he gets that much of UFC fighter pay boils down to star power and finishes, but he thinks improvements can still be made.

“Yes, I would love to get paid more,” Cannonier said. “I would love for all of us MMA fighters to get paid more, but there’s a big differentiation in skill level even in the UFC. I think the UFC pays a lot based off of merit. How you perform, A. How you market yourself, B.

“Let me put it like this, I would like to get paid the way that the highest performing athletes in any sport get paid. We’re on TVs around the world. We go through a lot just to make it to fight week. We lose a lot of money that’s not coming to us. We used to get a bunch of sponsors. We still get sponsors, but the changing of the landscape changed that for us, and it didn’t leave us with much of anything at the end. Again, fighters are definitely at the sh*tend of the stick of this whole business.”

Cannonier feels a fighter at his level should be paid beyond the current ceiling.

“I think I should have million dollar contracts, not $100,000 contracts at the stage that I’m in,” Cannonier said.

Cannonier is scheduled to meet Christian Leroy Duncan in the UFC Oklahoma co-main event on Saturday. It’ll be his first fight since Aug. 2025 when he dropped a unanimous decision to Michael Page. Duncan has been more active with wins back in Dec. 2025 and March.

Do you agree with Jared Cannonier on certain fighters deserving more pay from UFC, or do you think things are fine the way they are? Let your voice be heard in the comments below.