Jared Cannonier stands with Paulo Costa about his pay desire.
Cannonier was set for another big fight as he was set to face Paulo Costa in the main event of a Fight Night card on August 21. However, the Brazilian pulled out of the scrap as he had problems with his pay and he said he never even signed the contract.
Although Cannonier is not getting the Costa fight, he says he understands why he is angry over his pay.
“Well, I don’t know how much he’s getting paid per fight, but it’s a common argument,” Cannonier told Submission Radio (h/t MMAJunkie). “MMA fighters, UFC fighters, MMA in general fighters don’t get paid as much in comparison to the organizations or the promotions are getting paid. So, yeah, I mean, I understand the argument. I can’t hate on him or knock him or chastise him for having his stance. It’s a very bold stance to say, ‘I’m not gonna fight unless you guys pay me some more money.’ But, yeah, someone’s gotta fight for us fighters to get paid more.
“And I’m not gonna turn down a fatter paycheck either. So, it is what it is. It’s his choice,” Cannonier continued. “With that being said, he has to be able to deal with the consequences of that, not fighting and maybe even losing his position. He’s ranked No. 2 right there. He’s just fought for the title, so he’s right there. He can get right back in there with a few wins. But once you get a title fight, that’s when you start getting pay-per-view points, that’s when I hear the money starts rolling in. I wouldn’t know. I’m not there yet.”
Although Cannonier is not getting the Costa fight he still will headline the show against Kelvin Gastelum. It’s a big scrap for him as he knows with a win, he’s back into the title picture at middleweight.
