Israel Adesanya Reveals What He Was Paid for UFC Debut

On the 11th of February 2018, Israel Adesanya made his UFC debut. ‘The Last Stylebender’ came into the UFC with a professional record of 11-0 and a reputation of being an elite-level kickboxer with several world titles before he even crossed over into MMA.

A very hot topic in the MMA world for many years has been fighter pay, particularly in the UFC. While some of the big stars are paid reasonable purses, boxers are typically paid much more.

During a recent appearance on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, though, Adesanya lifted the lid on what the UFC paid him for his debut in the MMA market-leading organization.

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Israel Adesanya Was Paid Six Figures for his First UFC Fight

Adesanya was paid considerably more than what a typical debutant would’ve been paid

Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya revealed he was paid six figures for his first fight in the UFC — far more than what a typical debutante in the UFC makes, which is typically $10,000 or $12,000 to show, and the same amount again if they win. Adesanya made a lot more than that, which may turn the heads of several UFC fighters.

Adesanya said the following on the Pound 4 Pound podcast:

Alex Pereira’s Kickboxing Rival Recently Turned Down a UFC Contract Due to Their “Contract Structure”

Vakhitov was offered a standard UFC contract despite being a huge name in kickboxing, just like Adesanya was when he debuted in the promotion

Fighter pay remains a hot topic and, recently, Artem Vakhitov, generated headlines after securing a UFC contract last summer after winning his fight on Dana White’s Contender Series — a UFC feeder league. The Russian, who is like Adesanya, a kickboxing star who is known for his rivalry with Alex Pereira, recently revealed to MMA Fighting that he turned down the contract as the UFC insisted to him that they couldn’t pay him more than their “standard contract.”

Vakhitov said the following to MMA Fighting:

Adesanya’s experience, though, was clearly different to Vakhitov’s.

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