Paulo Costa Criticizes UFC Fighter Pay After Rampage Jackson's $7M Claim

Paulo Costa has renewed his criticism of UFC fighter pay, reacting to a resurfaced clip in which former light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson detailed his biggest payday with the promotion. In a conversation with UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland, Jackson stated that he earned $7 million, including pay-per-view compensation, for his 2007 victory over Chuck Liddell.

According to Jackson, the lucrative payout stemmed from a contract he signed with the World Fighting Alliance (WFA), where his manager also held a promotional role. Jackson explained that his manager secured him a favorable pay-per-view deal because the WFA did not run pay-per-view events. When the UFC's parent company acquired WFA assets in December 2006, the organization was obligated to honor the existing contract terms.

Costa highlighted Jackson’s past earnings on X to question the current pay scale for active fighters. The Brazilian middleweight contrasted the $7 million figure with his estimate of what veteran Raoni Barcelos earned in his stoppage loss to Raul Rosas Jr. last month. Barcelos, 39, lost consciousness during a fifth-round grappling exchange, and Costa estimated the fighter made between $80,000 and $100,000 despite suffering serious physical damage in the bout.