- Demetrious Johnson lashed out at the UFC and Dana White over unfair treatment and contract negotiation
- “Mighty Mouse” emphasized how disappointing it was that the company treated and paid CM Punk better than a champion like him.
DJ opened up
Johnson made history as the inaugural UFC flyweight champion and successfully defended his title an outstanding 11 times from 2012 to 2018. Despite his remarkable achievement, “Mighty Mouse” revealed that he struggled in earning pay-per-view bonuses, unlike many other UFC champions and even CM Punk.
“This guy comes in and gets a base salary of f**king $500,000,” Johnson said on his YouTube channel. “There were also potential pay-per-view bonuses and other financial incentives in his contract. I had to defend the belt eight f**king times, and I didn’t get this.”
Johnson went on and opened up about how unfortunate it was for him that the UFC was unfair to his division.
“I fought and fought and fought, They specifically said, ‘We do not give pay-per-view points to flyweight guys,’” Johnson added. “They said it to me, and when they did that, that’s when I went ahead and took the [$125,00] (show money) and [$50,000] (win bonus) after I beat Joseph Benavidez in Sacramento for the second time when I knocked him out. I got the opportunity, I went through my whole contract as a champion, I got to renegotiate, I wanted pay-per-view points, they said, ‘We don’t give it to you guys, and that’s where I went 125 and 50. Went on another streak, and I fought Henry Cejudo. After I knocked out Henry Cejudo, they gave me $350,000 guaranteed, go up every 10,000 as an escalator. Then, finally, they put in my contract when I would break the record, or when I fight Henry Cejudo, they would give me pay-per-view points just for that one fight.”
“If you’re a lightweight or a welterweight, middleweight, or heavyweight, I’ve been told (by champions at the time) that once they became champion, they got $500,000 flat, and it went straight into their contract. They got pay-per-view points every single time. So, when Conor [McGregor] became champion, he got $500,000 flat pay-per-view points. Jon Jones got $500,000 flat, pay-per-view points. And some more. They disclose $500,000 flat, but that’s what they got. For me, it was never that. If I would have got pay-per-view points every single time I defended my belt, if I was on the Jon Jones, Conor McGregor card, Amanda Nunes, whatever it may be, it might not be $800,000 extra check, but those extra six-figure checks add up eventually 10-11 consecutive title defenses. [And] You put me on three Conor McGregor cards… yeah,” he concluded.
DJ has moved on
Eventually, Johnson was prompted to part ways with the UFC in 2018. Despite leaving the UFC, “Mighty Mouse” continued to pursue his passion for fighting and solidified his status as one of the best in the sport at ONE Championship, where he is the current flyweight champion.
Johnson had some of the best fights of his career with the UFC but he is without a doubt, making a name for himself at ONE as well. Johnson has a 25-4 pro MMA record and is still regarded as one of the greatest, if not the greatest fighter the UFC has ever had.
Watch Johnson’s full video below:
