Fighter pay has come under renewed scrutiny following UFC’s $7.7 billion deal with Paramount, with several athletes questioning how revenue is distributed.
High-profile voices have described the structure as unfair, adding momentum to a long-running issue.
Amid that backdrop, Henry Cejudo has offered a different angle. The former two-division champion argues the problem is not just the UFC, but also how fighters themselves view the system.
His take focuses particularly on how American athletes see it compared to those who come from overseas.
Henry Cejudo says foreign fighters’ mindset impacts UFC pay debate
Speaking on his Pound 4 Pound show with Kamaru Usman, ‘Triple C’ suggested that financial expectations vary widely depending on a fighter’s background.
“I’ll tell you why. Why? Because a lot of these foreign fighters that have never been paid, that have f—— fought on the street for free, they’re happy with the $100,000 bonus,” he responded when asked about the lack of payment complaints in other American leagues, such as NBA, NFL and MLB.
“They’re happy with just getting famous. You know what I’m saying? For Americans, we understand the game of how the associations have worked. It’s different.”
Cejudo went further, arguing that awareness is key to change, saying: “If these dudes truly knew what they are making and what the UFC could potentially pay them, they’d think a little bit different.”
Those comments arrive as fighters continue to question how earnings compare to other major sports leagues, where collective structures have long shaped pay standards.
Henry Cejudo questions managers’ role amid UFC complaints
Cejudo did not limit his criticism to fighters. He also pointed to management as a missing piece in the conversation.
“And the other thing that I will say is: managers.
“Could and would managers work together to formulate something to where they’re able to see eye to eye with the UFC?” he questioned.
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