Fighter pay is current;y the hottest topic in all of MMA. Some of the biggest names in the sport are fed up with the promotion and the small percentage of revenue they receive from big fight cards. Especially when it comes to popular fighters with elite skill levels. One of the major advocates of fighter pay has been UFC Women’s Flyweight Paige Van Zant. Once again, Paige has reiterated that she can make more money from her Instagram account than inside of the UFC octagon.
UFC vs Fighter Pay
PVZ has established herself as more than just a UFC fighter. She has grown into a multi-facet star, appearing on Dancing With The Stars, and getting her own Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. This, joined with a budding career as an Instagram model, leaves her with several opportunities outside of fighting. Which simply can not be said for many other fighters on the roster.
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Paige Van Zant Says She Makes More Money on Instagram than She does Fighting
Van Zant is headed into the end of her UFC contract. It has been made clear that she has the intent of fighting out her contract and testing the waters of free agency. And, now that Paige is heading into the final fight on her contract, she’s open to listening to other promotions. Furthermore, shes happy with the lucrative paydays she can receive from Instagram. She spoke about her contract with Ariel Helwani of ESPN MMA.
Heading into the final fight of her current contract, @paigevanzant is looking to prove her value at #UFC251
(via @arielhelwani) pic.twitter.com/t0NnW7ObRl
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 24, 2020
“Everyone knows how much I make. I make $46,000 to fight. $46,000 to show and $46,000 to win. I’m not going to hide than because everybody knows,” said Van Zant.
“I can make way more money than that just promoting brands on Instagram. That should say something. Why would I step away from all the amazing success I had on Dancing with the Stars? I made more money on Dancing with the Stars than I have in my entire UFC career combined. Every fight, every win, every bonus. And it just shows that the money is out there.”
Fighting Out UFC Contract
As the interview progressed, Paige made it clear that she still has the passion to fight. Also, she’s dropped all of her sponsors to show her dedication to her matchup against Amanda Ribas at UFC 251.
Win or lose, it’ll be interesting to see what’s next for Van Zant. Both inside of the octagon, and on Instagram.
