Jared Cannonier calls out UFC fighter pay ahead of Oklahoma City

Jared Cannonier said fighters are getting a raw deal when it comes to UFC compensation, days before his co-main event clash with Christian Leroy Duncan at UFC Oklahoma City on Saturday.

The 42-year-old middleweight, who carries an 11-9 UFC record after a decade with the promotion, told Full Send MMA that he would prefer million-dollar contracts over the six-figure deals veterans at his level typically sign. Cannonier said the landscape changed when the UFC shifted to its exclusive apparel deal, cutting fighters off from outside sponsors without much to replace the lost income.

What Cannonier said about his place in the middleweight pecking order

Cannonier acknowledged the wide skill gap even within the UFC roster, and said the promotion bases pay largely on performance and self-promotion. Still, he argued that fighters who appear on televised cards around the world deserve better. MMA Mania reports he has spent seven to eight years ranked inside the top ten at middleweight, currently sitting at No. 10 ahead of Saturday's bout with the No. 12-ranked Duncan.

The middleweight has gone 1-3 in his last four, a slide that reflects the difficulty of serving as a gatekeeper in one of the UFC's deepest divisions. Despite the recent skid, Cannonier said he is not holding back his opinion on compensation. The UFC Oklahoma City card is expected to generate over two million dollars in gate revenue, according to the report.

Cannonier faces Duncan, who holds a 7-2 UFC record, at Paycom Center on July 18.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Jared Cannonier says ‘Fighters get the s—t end of the stick’ when it comes to UFC pay