Jake Paul again went after the UFC for its business practices.
Jake Paul is hoping to go 4-0 in his fledgling boxing career next month when he takes on 0-0 boxer, and former UFC welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley. The YouTuber’s list of victories so far includes Woodley’s teammate Ben Askren, former NBA player Nate Robinson and fellow YouTuber Ali Eson Gib. All of those opponents came into the fight with 0-0 records.
Recently Paul spoke to Maxim about a host of issues. With that outlet he talked up his plans to face former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor, who is currently recovering from an injury sustained versus Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.
He also spoke about how confident he was that he could beat Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, the consensus pound-for-pound best pugilist on the planet.
With Maxim Paul also seized another opportunity to bury the UFC over fighter pay. This year Paul has shared pointed criticism of the company, and its president Dana White, for underpaying the athletes who compete in the Octagon.
“Recently this study came out from Goldman-Sachs, saying the UFC only pays fighters 10 percent of the UFC’s total earnings, whereas in other leagues like the NBA, the NFL, the players get paid 50 percent,” charged Paul.
The current estimation on how much revenue share UFC fighters receive stands at 16% in 2019, per a report by The New York Post. Under the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement (secured through players having a union), players receive between 49 and 51% of total revenue. The NFL’s collective bargaining agreement (also secured through a union) stipulates that players receive 48% of total revenue.
In 2020 the UFC reportedly brought in a record $900 million in revenue.
“That’s a crazy, massive difference,” said Paul of the revenue splits in the UFC and the leagues he cited. “And in the NBA, you’re not risking your life. You can die in the ring. That’s how I see it. It’s so backwards. There’s a problem that needs to be fixed here. It’s a monopoly that the UFC is running. They basically sign these fighters to career-long contracts, and they have no other choice, and they’re just bound to oblige and be a puppet.”
In his next fight both Paul, and his opponent, are forecast to make more money than the vast majority of UFC fighters will see over their entire careers.
Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley is scheduled for August 29. It will air on Showtime.