Culture, July 15, 2025, 5 min read
How We Pay Fighters And Why We Talk About It
Purse structure, win bonuses, who covers medicals, and the reason we put it in writing before anybody signs.
By Big Dawg Staff
Combat sports has a long history of fighters not knowing what they are getting paid until after they have been hit. We decided early that we were not going to run that way.
The structure
Every fighter gets a base purse and a win bonus, both written into the bout agreement before anything is announced. No handshake numbers, no promises about the next card being where the money is.
Who pays for what
We cover pre-fight medicals, licensing fees and the ambulance and physicians on site. Fighters cover their own camp. Travel is covered for anybody coming from outside the Valley.
Undercard pay
Undercard fighters are the ones who usually get squeezed in this sport. Ours are paid on the same structure as the main event, at a smaller number. It is the same contract, not a different kind of deal.
Why we publish it
Because fighters talk to each other, and a promotion that is vague about money gets a reputation quickly. Being specific is cheaper in the long run than being popular for a year.
What we will not do
We do not tie pay to social media follower counts and we do not pay less to fighters who lose entertainingly. A fighter who takes a bout on short notice and loses gets exactly what the contract said.