Henry Cejudo (Image Credits: Imagn Images)

Henry Cejudo Points to ‘$100K-Happy’ Foreign Fighters as Root of UFC Pay Debate

Originally posted on Total Pro Sports | By Pavan Sharma | Last updated Mar 19, 2026 1:47 PM ET

Fighters from different organizations and different countries have dreams to fight in the UFC, as many believe the world’s top competition is in the UFC. But recently, there have been many UFC stars who’ve complained about fighter pay and how important it is. Recently, Henry Cejudo pointed out how foreign fighters are comfortable with lesser pay.

Cejudo believes there’s a pay issue in the UFC, and part of the reason is how some fighters view money. Cejudo said many foreign fighters, who come from tougher backgrounds and have fought for little or no pay before, are satisfied with bonuses like $100K. On the recent Pound4Pound show, ‘Triple C’ said:

“A lot of these foreign fighters, that have never been paid, that have fought on the street for free. They’re happy with a 100k bonus”

Henry Cejudo thinks UFC has pay issues because foreign fighters are happy to make ‘$100k’

“A lot of these foreign fighters, that have never been paid, that have fought on the street for free. They’re happy with a 100k bonus”

via @pound4poundshow pic.twitter.com/IyODH9Am95
— Dovy (@DovySimuMMA) March 19, 2026

His point is that when fighters accept lower pay without pushing back, it affects the entire market and keeps fighter salaries from increasing. Meanwhile, recently, former UFC champ Ronda Rousey dropped her honest take on UFC pay. She said even champions end up on OnlyFans.

Ronda Rousey Joins Henry Cejudo in Calling Out UFC Pay

Ronda Rousey has once again sparked the debate around fighter pay in the UFC. Rousey argued that even top champs aren’t paid enough and often need to find other ways to earn money outside fighting. During the press conference of her recent fight on Netflix, Rousey said:

“The UFC is one of the worst places to go. Their champions like Valentina are selling pictures of their t-----s on OnlyFans. They just got $7.7 billion dollars. There’s no reason they can’t pay their athletes.”

She questioned how a promotion worth billions still doesn’t pay fighters better. ‘Rowdy’ pointed out that the UFC’s huge valuation should reflect in fighter salaries, saying there’s no reason athletes shouldn’t be earning more. As so many stars are talking about pay, fans will wait to see if the UFC takes any action or not.

This article first appeared on Total Pro Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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