Gaethje was disappointed with the pay for his last fight.
Gaethje earned a unanimous decision win over Rafael
Fiziev in his last outing at UFC 313
this past March. Gaethje revealed that it was the first time in his
career that he made less money than he did in his previous outing.
Before his fight against Fiziev, Gaethje suffered an iconic
buzzer-beater knockout loss in a BMF title fight against Max
Holloway. Considering Holloway’s stardom, Gaethje likely earned
a bigger payday. Gaethje (26-5) never wants to be paid less than he
did in his previous outing again.
A Championship Payday
“The Highlight” wants to secure big fights where he is assured a
big payday. Gaethje is now scheduled to challenge Paddy
Pimblett (23-3) for the interim lightweight title in the main
event at UFC 324 on Jan. 24 in Las Vegas. Gaethje’s contract for
UFC
324 guarantees him a certain purse, which is crucial to
him.
“My contract says I’m going to get paid a certain amount to
challenge for a championship, now I get paid that for this fight,”
Gaethje told Carlos Contreras Legaspi. “That was very
important for me. I’m the most consistent, most exciting guy that’s
ever stepped in there. The last fight was the first time that I’ve
ever made less than my previous fight ever in my whole life, and I
don’t want that to happen. So I’ve got to be in these big
fights.”