UFC Fighters Eagerly Await News of Salary Increases as ESPN Raises PPV Prices Again

With the news that ESPN has raised the price of pay-per-views for the third time since becoming the exclusive provider of UFC pay-per-view broadcasts, fighters are excited about what this must mean for their paychecks. The $5 increase for each pay-per-view, which follows two identically sized raises, represents a 7% increase in pay-per-view cost for fans, with the price of each event having risen 25% in just a few years of exclusivity. As the primary source of entertainment sold to those fans, it stands to reason that fighters will see a corresponding increase in their pay packages, helping compensate for the fans’ loss with the fighters’ gain. The base pay for a debuting fighter, which stood at $10,000 to show and $10,000 to win at UFC 236, the first event under ESPN’s exclusive agreement and prior to the three price increases, new sponsorship agreements and the organization breaking “just about every record” in 2020, now stands at $10,000 to show and $10,000 to win.