Jared Cannonier is riding a ton of momentum after his unanimous decision victory over Kelvin Gastelum in the main event of UFC Vegas 34, in his return to the octagon after suffering an injury in his loss to Robert Whittaker last October at UFC 254.
But it was Cannonier’s comments after the fight that left a lasting impression on the fans when it came to his insight into UFC fighter pay and how he desires to be fairly compensated going forward.
Just moments after the official decision was read in the middle of the UFC APEX, Cannonier alluded to being “broke” and a desire to fight again soon to help pay some of his ongoing bills. His recent injury woes have prevented him from remaining active in the UFC’s middleweight division despite still being listed as the third-ranked middleweight contender.
The time off surely impacted Cannonier’s wallet and ability to make a living, as he later explained during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with MMA journalist Ariel Helwani.
“It’s not dire, it’s just a natural occurrence if you will,” Cannonier said. “Of course coming off the injury, I’m not balling out of control or anything like that, and a lot of people don’t understand that when we have these fights that we owe people money after these fights. After this win, 60 percent of my money is already gone. Between the gym, between management, between taxes, on top of that, I’ve got bills, credit cards, I got kids. That money goes. Money doesn’t last forever.”
“Right now fighting is our only revenue. I don’t have sponsors or anything like that. Fighting is my only focus. Not being able to fight for the last 10 months put a strain on our pockets. So I’m glad to have gotten back in there.”
Cannonier isn’t the only UFC athlete that has recently made his opinions known regarding the financial state of how fighters are compensated for their efforts. Jon Jones, Francis Ngannou, and Jorge Masvidal are just a few of the big names who have criticized the UFC brass for how they’ve handled the revenue made off their names and performances in the octagon.
What is your reaction to Jared Cannonier’s recent comments?