Chad Mendes is finally living up to his nickname.
‘Money’ is looking to cash out big when he makes his BKFC debut. The UFC star would come of out of retirement not to fight in the Octagon, but the bare-knuckle boxing ring instead.
Mendes Says He’s Making More Than Francis Ngannou
Ahead of his first BKFC fight against ‘Famez’ later this month, Mendes would reveal how much money he is making. The contracted payout looks to be bigger than Francis Ngannou’s base pay at UFC 271.
“I’ll put it this way: I just saw what the UFC heavyweight champion of the world just got paid ($600K), and it’s gonna be more than that,” Mendes revealed to MMA Junkie. “It’s pretty crazy. I feel blessed for sure.”
It’s crazy to think a BKFC fighter is making more than the UFC Heavyweight Champion of the world. However, this seems to be the case for ‘Money’ Mendes.
A Very Profitable Move
The former UFC title challenger made a disclosed purse of $87,000 with a $50K fight of the night bonus for his last UFC fight against Alexander Volkanovski. Who knew fighting with no gloves would actually be a step up from MMA?
The crossover into another sports looks to be worthwhile for Mendes.
“Man, it’s very profitable.I’m getting paid well for the fight, and I’m doubling that with the sponsors alone. It’s crazy. That was such a big money maker for us in the UFC (before 2015). Obviously not everybody, but people who knew what they were doing and could promote and actually get out there and do what they needed to do to get those, it was great.
“It’s a great way to make a big income without having to do much, just getting logos on shorts, helping these companies that I already work with. I’ve worked with a lot of companies in the outdoor industry for the last six to eight years, and it’s just expanding our relationship and getting something new. Instead of just social media stuff, now we’ve got social media, a fight platform, and some cool marketing on shorts. I think it’s just a win-win for everybody. It’s exciting, the ability to do what we were able to do in this fight, for sure.”
Mendes reflects on debuting in BKFC, rather than returning to the UFC:
“I think it was a smart move. This is a really cool opportunity that kind of fills that competitive gap that I still have, and it’s a great way to make money in a very short amount of time.”
Chad Mendes will be making his BKFC debut at KnuckleMania 2 on Feb. 19, against Joshuah Alvarez.
