Le Journal

Justin Gaethje is set to serve as one-half of the main event for the first UFC card on Paramount+ but that prestigious honor didn’t come along with a bigger paycheck. Saturday night’s UFC 324 card kicks off the promotion’s new seven year, $7.7 billion deal to move to Paramount, which features every card for the streaming service — including those numbered events that used to cost $79.99 each on pay-per-view. Numerous fighters previously earned pay-per-view points, which resulted in bigger paydays, but that’s now a thing of the past under the new broadcast deal. That said, UFC CEO Dana White has promised fighter pay is going to go up under this new deal and even former two-division champion Daniel Cormier claimed “they’re already getting more money” while adding that the promotion has been more than willing to negotiate new terms now that pay-per-view is gone. But Gaethje says that’s absolutely not the case where he’s involved. “I hear Daniel Cormier saying everybody is going to get paid more on this card,” Gaethje said during UFC 324 media day. “I’m not getting one dollar more than I would have if this deal did not happen.” That’s obviously disappointing news for Gaethje, although it’s unclear if he was receiving pay-per-view bonuses in his contract. Typically speaking, UFC champions and some select other athletes have those bonuses included in their contracts and even then pay-per-view sales have to hit a certain threshold before an additional payout is made. Gaethje also lamented the fact that through 14 appearances in the UFC, he’s received a remarkable 14 post-fight bonuses but that still hasn’t added enough zeroes to his bank account. “To have 14 bonuses and not equal up to a million dollars is not right,” Gaethje said. “It’s not right. It should be a lot more than that and I should have had opportunities to do smarter things with my money but I don’t and I haven’t.” Based on Gaethje’s bonus history, he earned 13 bonuses at $50,000 each, which equals out to $650,000 and then he earned $300,000 for his Fight of the Night bonus at UFC 300 when he battled Max Holloway. That totals out to $950,000 — still less than the $1 million mark Gaethje wished he achieved. That said, Gaethje admits that all the bonus money he did earn has come in handy throughout his career, especially when it comes to taking care of his family. “I’m happy to achieve what I have achieved,” Gaethje said. “The best thing I did was probably invest in a commercial property. I purchased a house in Arizona that’s like a mile away from my parents. My sister’s renting that from me now. Really just being able to help my family. Help my parents, help my brothers and sisters. Give them Christmas gifts that I would have never been able to give them. Take them on vacations that I never would have been able to. “That’s the smartest thing I did because you can never get that time back with your family. It’s huge for me.”

Paddy Pimblett plans to leave a lasting mark on the career of Justin Gaethje at UFC 324. “The Baddy” and “The Highlight” square off in Saturday’s main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with an interim lightweight title up for grabs. Much has been made of the dynamics of the matchup, including whether Pimblett’s youth will give him an advantage over a battle-hardened Gaethje, if Gaethje can stifle Pimblett’s grappling and force him into a standup duel, and what direction the fighters will head in after the dust settles. As much as Gaethje is known for drawing his opponents into life-changing brawls, this time, Pimblett is confident its Gaethje who will wear the scars of their fight. “He won’t be physically the same after this fight, I will,” Pimblett said at media day on Wednesday. “I’ll be exactly the same. I’m going to put a beatdown on him like he’s never received and I can promise you that. But it was just another fight to me. When a contract with a name on it gets sent to me I sign it. I don’t turn down no fight. I step up and I fight the person whose name is on the contract. “I thought I was going to fight Justin in October in Abu Dhabi, but I think he turned it down. Now there’s a belt on the line, he’s taking the fight. So it’s nice to actually fight someone that I thought I was going to fight a while back.” Pimblett has had luck defeating more veteran opponents, including dominant performances against Michael Chandler, King Green, and Tony Ferguson. He finished his past two fights, bludgeoning Chandler en route to a third-round knockout, and becoming the first person in 15 years to defeat Green via submission. Still, there’s no question Gaethje is the more famous finisher, having racked up bonus after bonus in his 14-fight UFC career. He’s mentioned on multiple occasions that he plans to put the hurt on Pimblett in their fight, to which Pimblett can only laugh. “I had seen an even funnier one yesterday saying he wants to make me piss my pants,” Pimblett said. “That one made me laugh because he’d done it to someone in his first-ever fight. But that’s our job. We’re in here to hurt each other. We’re not having a pillow fight, we’re having a fight. And I know I’m going to hurt him, I know I am. If he wants to try and hurt me he can, that’s what we’re here for. That’s just the name of the game.” Pimblett is more than willing to stand with the dangerous Gaethje, but asked for a prediction on how Saturday’s main event will end, Pimblett dipped back into his comfort zone. “I keep envisioning a KO, but it more likely is probably Paddy by sub, isn’t it?” Pimblett said.

Amanda Nunes isn’t letting a potentially lengthy delay stop her plans of becoming undisputed UFC champion again. Bantamweight titleholder Kayla Harrison was scheduled to defend her belt against Nunes in the co-main event of UFC 324 this Saturday, but the bout was removed from the card when Harrison was forced to withdrew due to having to undergo neck surgery. UFC CEO Dana White confirmed the promotion plans to re-book the matchup sometime in 2026. That leaves Nunes having to wait even longer to make her comeback after retiring at the top of the game in 2023. The 37-year-old “Lioness” spoke to UFC Brasil about the missed opportunity. “With this news about Kayla having to undergo surgery and all that, it’s a bit sad because I did a whole preparation, the camp was perfect, I was very ready physically, mentally, and spiritually,” Nunes said (Portugese translation via MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz). “We’re sad about all of this, but what can you do, right? It was out of our control, so now it’s a matter of waiting to see what the UFC is going to do.” At first, it wasn’t clear if Nunes would be unavailable to fight on Jan. 24, and one bantamweight contender, Norma Dumont, volunteered to step in for Harrison to fight Nunes for an interim title. Nunes is open to fighting an opponent besides Harrison, but she’s only stepping into the cage again for a shot at regaining undisputed status. “Everyone’s talking about an interim belt, someone to fight and all that, but guys, that doesn’t exist for me,” Nunes said. “I only fight for the real belt. If the UFC takes the belt now [from Harrison] and puts someone else to fight for it, I’ll fight, but an interim belt doesn’t exist. “There’s no such thing as me fighting another opponent out of nowhere right now. None of that exists. It’s about waiting to see whether Kayla is going to come back or not, and seeing what’s going to happen.” Since the UFC 324 bout was canceled, Nunes has frequently posted clips of herself continuing to train and even followed through with the trip to Las Vegas for Saturday’s show at T-Mobile Arena. The message is clear that Nunes is still fully set on completing her comeback, but only when the time is right. “But one thing is certain: I’m good, I’m training a lot, I’m motivated, I’m strong,” Nunes said. “I’m 37 years old, the flame is still alive, the lioness is still in the jungle. I’m ready to take my belt back, no matter who it’s against.”

Donn Davis is exiting his role as chairman at PFL. The veteran executive made the announcement on social media just days after PFL president Ray Sefo also left the company after first launching in 2017. Former PFL CEO Peter Murray also just recently stepped down from his role with the company. “From the moment I founded Professional Fighters League eight years ago, it has been my life,” Davis wrote. “My vision was to create an innovative and premium MMA company as the valuable alternative for those that want or need it. We started with nothing except universal skepticism. Against all odds, we succeeded. Now PFL is the clear No. 2 MMA company worldwide and the only other premium product. “Today, I’m stepping down as chairman of PFL. I care deeply about each employee, value highly every investor, respect greatly our fighters and appreciate sincerely all our fans who supported this company. I gave you everything I’ve got.” Read Davis’ full statement below: I’ve loved fighting to build @PFLMMAWhat Do You Fight For? #PFLMMA pic.twitter.com/hdGl6m5jRH— Donn Davis (@DonnDavisPFL) January 21, 2026 Davis leaves the PFL at a critical time for the company with its current broadcast deal with ESPN coming to an end at the close of 2026. Prior to Davis stepping down, PFL hired former Time Warner executive John Martin as chief executive officer. The 2026 PFL calendar kicks off in February with lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov defending his title in Dubai with two more events already on the books in Spain and Pittsburgh. “PFL changed the great sport of MMA for the better,” Davis wrote. “Meaningful innovations, unique global expansions, fighter empowerment and the company is just getting started. I’ve loved fighting to build PFL. What do you fight for?” With Davis, Murray and Sefo all gone from PFL, it remains to be seen if any other senior executives are also leaving the company ahead of the 2026 schedule getting underway. PFL did announce a new round of financing to raise capital for the company on Wednesday. Knighthead Capital Management, LLC and 885 Capital both expanded their ownership stakes in PFL as the company moves forward in 2026 and beyond. “This capital raise marks a pivotal moment for PFL,” Martin said in a press release. “With a stronger financial foundation, engaged ownership, and experienced leadership in place, we are positioned to build a more compelling product for fighters and fans while accelerating our global ambitions.”