Michael Bisping has been around the UFC forever. He has won big and lost big, but always gives it his all. When he knocked out Luke Rockhold after taking the middleweight championship fight on short notice to capture the belt it made for a great comeback story. Everyone felt good, even Michael until he realized how much other stars were making. He told The MMA Hour on Monday:
“I’ll say this with the greatest respect to the company and Dana White. Dana’s always been very fair to me. Dana’s always treated me with respect and this and that. I’ve always been happy with the amount of money I’ve been getting paid. But, now I see we’re in a new age of UFC and I see gigantic paydays going around that I have never been a part of. And I’ve done well, don’t get me wrong, I’ve done very well, but I see a lot of other people making a lot more money. And that does piss me off a little bit. I’m not talking shit about UFC, they’ve always paid me well and I’ve been happy with my pay. I just would like to be a part of one of the gigantic cards before I retire. That’s all, just so I can get a big gigantic payday I can retire on. Could I retire now? No I can’t. UFC has paid me well and I have no qualms. I’ve always signed contracts and at the time I’ve always been happy signing those contracts. But I see Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor getting $3 million guaranteed plus pay-per-view (PPV), so that’s a $10 million payday. I’ve never had a $10 million payday. I’ve never had a $1 million payday. So, yeah, of course, that’s why I want the money fights, who doesn’t? I’ve done this my entire life, dedicated myself to this sport, you have to earn it and I feel like I’ve earned it. I’m the world champion, I want to be a part of the biggest fights. That said, it’s a business, you create your own hype and people tune in.”
Granted, McGregor and Rousey can command massive paydays because they are crossover stars. Bisping has not been as successful in making waves with non MMA audiences and that is why he doesn’t have million dollar pull like some. What do you think? Does he deserve the same pay?