Arman Tsarukyan just put a $10 million price tag on being a UFC champion, and he used a platform hosted by boxing star Ryan Garcia to make sure Dana White heard it. Speaking on Garcia’s Kick stream, the lightweight contender weighed in on the ongoing issue of fighter purses when the world champion boxer revived the contentious issue that has long plagued the UFC.
“[Dana White] should pay fighters more, huh?” Ryan Garcia asked. “Or you don’t know. I mean, you don’t have to speak on it.”
Despite sharing a frosty relationship with Dana White, the initially reluctant Arman Tsarukyan agreed that MMA fighters deserve better pay.
“Of course, MMA fighters got to be paid more. But, like, medium fighters, they get paid more than boxing,” Tsarukyan acknowledged. “For example, like, stars like you get paid, like, maybe five times more than, like, a UFC champion, right? But, like, if, like, there is, like, a medium fighter, he’s, like, top 10, top 12… They get paid more than in boxing, guys… In boxing, get paid just only, like, the big names.”
Arman Tsarukyan then pointed to early signs of change since Zuffa Boxing entered the scene earlier this year. Also, under the new Paramount deal, he revealed that fighters are receiving better payouts, including himself. However, he demanded that fighters defending their belts get paid considerably more going forward.
“So [UFC], now they sign; they change all deals,” he said. “So guys, like, getting more money, and even me, so they signed my contract, and, like, other guys, the champions, they get more paid. For example, they get paid, like, two mils, now, they get paid four mils.
“But still it’s not same money as boxing. It cannot stay like this. If you’re a UFC champion and you defend your title, you gotta make $10 million at least.”
Ryan Garcia asked Arman Tsarukyan about UFC fighter pay:
Ryan: “Dana White should pay the fighters more.”
Arman: “In boxing, only the big names get paid. [The UFC] started paying [fighters] more because of the Paramount deal… for example if they got paid $2 million now… pic.twitter.com/we2sSgmlN1
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 9, 2026
Overall, Tsarukyan remains optimistic. The situation could change over the next 3–4 years. After subtracting all expenses, including trainer fees and other costs, the champion should be taking home atleast $6 to $7 million, according to him.
Pressure mounts on Dana White as the UFC fighter pay debate intensifies
That individual push mirrors a wider concern across the UFC. Several prominent fighters, including Sean Strickland, Justin Gaethje, Israel Adesanya, and Sean O’Malley, have openly questioned the current pay structure.
“As far as the pay scale, when you compare it to any other sporting event, the UFC is the most f–ked up,” Strickland said on Complex not too long ago. “Athlete pay versus what [the UFC] is making—there is no argument there. It’s not fair. It’s predatory.”
Reacting to reports of massive paydays in Zuffa Boxing, particularly after they signed welterweight contender Conor Benn for a reported $15 million one-fight deal, Adesanya questioned why such differences should exist when Zuffa and the UFC fall under the same parent company.
“These guys are top-class boxers. They’re the best in the world at what they do. But so are we,” he said. “This is the UFC. And if one guy can command that kind of money for one fight, and that’s from the same company, Zuffa. This is what’s been keeping the lights on, is the UFC. We love Ultimate Fighting, not limited fighting. I don’t feel jaded, but I’m like, f–k it, I want 15 million for one fight too.”
While Dana White has promised future pay increases, the unified front presented by stars like Tsarukyan, Strickland, and Adesanya suggests the debate is far from over, placing every major UFC fight deal under intense scrutiny from fighters and fans alike.
