Rampage Jackson suggests million-dollar UFC bonuses

Legendary fighter Quinton “Rampage” Jackson believes the UFC tin simply marque fights much exciting. The 46-year-old spoke connected his podcast JAXXON astir however fighters are not motivated capable to instrumentality risks successful the Octagon due to the fact that the rewards aren’t precocious enough. His proposition is clear; summation the bonuses and viewers volition get much action.

Last Saturday’s UFC 321 lawsuit didn’t wow the crowd. The main lawsuit betwixt Tom Aspinall and Cyril Gane ended successful disgrace aft the Englishman was stabbed successful the oculus and was incapable to proceed the fight. While the fights betwixt Mackenzie Dern and Umar Nurmagomedov were technically good, they lacked the genuine warring passionateness that fans want.

Jackson spoke his caput connected that. “I’ll archer you however the UFC could hole it,” helium said. “If I was the promoter and I had the wealth similar the UFC, I would summation the bonus for Fight of the Night. They conscionable made different $7 cardinal successful TV rights alone, right?”

"I would summation the bonus to $1 million. It's lone $2 cardinal per show, they tin spend it. They would get a batch much breathtaking fights," helium added.

Paramount deal

His thought comes aft the UFC signed a six-year, $7.7 cardinal woody with Paramount, which starts successful 2026. The organization's president Dana White has already said that bonuses, which presently basal astatine $50,000, volition beryllium increased, but Rampage doubts that it volition beryllium a large increase. 

"I would accidental they volition treble it, to $100,000, but if I made $7 cardinal conscionable from broadcasting rights, I would springiness a cardinal per bonus!"

The statement implicit whether fighters should instrumentality much risks for the involvement of the assemblage has been going connected for years. The UFC strategy pays fractional to appear, fractional to win, truthful galore are playing it safe. Rampage believes that higher bonuses would unit fighters to enactment much emotion and hazard into their fights. "I deliberation that's the mode to hole everything. You privation much breathtaking fights? Give a bigger bonus. Because that Fight of the Night bonus is bigger than immoderate fighters' full salary."