{"id":588203,"date":"2026-04-06T02:18:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T02:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/588203\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T02:18:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T02:18:11","slug":"mma-fighter-claims-hes-earning-5x-more-than-ufc-debut-pay-on-netflix-mvp-card","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/588203\/","title":{"rendered":"MMA Fighter Claims He\u2019s Earning 5x More Than UFC Debut Pay On Netflix MVP Card"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kenny Cross<\/a> has spent years knocking on the door of major promotions, but his breakthrough moment may finally arrive on one of the biggest stages in combat sports.<\/p>\n

The 31-year-old prospect is set to compete on May 16 as part of the inaugural Netflix-backed MMA event, a card headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano. While global stars dominate the spotlight, Cross finds himself in a unique position, stepping into a high-profile opportunity that could redefine his career.<\/p>\n

Kenny Cross Says Netflix Payday Surpasses UFC Entry-Level Contract<\/p>\n

Cross will face Salahdine Parnasse on the undercard<\/a>, but it\u2019s not just the matchup that has people talking. It\u2019s the paycheck.<\/p>\n

After years of grinding on the regional scene and narrowly missing out on a UFC contract despite a win on Dana White\u2019s Contender Series, “The Boss” revealed that this opportunity is far more lucrative than anything he would have earned as a newcomer in the UFC.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m making five times what a UFC fighter would make in his first fight,\u201d Cross said during an interview with MMA Junkie<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m making the whole first contract outside of if they get a bonus. It\u2019s just like all my hard work is finally paying off, and no gatekeeping.<\/p>\n

Despite building a strong 17-4 record and stacking up wins across multiple promotions, Cross has repeatedly found himself overlooked when it came to securing a UFC deal. That frustration has been a recurring theme throughout his career.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just like, what\u2019s wrong with me? Why can\u2019t I get into the UFC?\u201d Cross said. \u201cSean Shelby was at my fight and this guy, it\u2019s like, I beat all these guys and I hear that if they beat me, they\u2019re going into the UFC. Then I beat them and it\u2019s just like, I never hear anything.<\/p>\n

\"Kenny<\/p>\n

Kenny Cross XFC 52 KO | UFC Ready?<\/p>\n

From Frustration To opportunity On Global Stage<\/p>\n

Kenny Cross\u2019s journey has been anything but straightforward. From a brief stint with Bellator to nearly making it onto The Ultimate Fighter, he has hovered in that difficult space between prospect and breakthrough star.<\/p>\n

Now, with Most Valuable Promotions entering the MMA landscape, “The Boss” believes he has finally found the platform he\u2019s been waiting for.<\/p>\n

I lose all my integrity and I lose all my hope, and this kinda gave it all back to me now, so it\u2019s like sunny skies and I\u2019m just excited,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kenny Cross has spent years knocking on the door of major promotions, but his breakthrough moment may finally…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":588204,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[64,63,786,9225,272189,785,270176,272188,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-588203","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-fighting","11":"tag-jake-paul","12":"tag-kenny-cross","13":"tag-mma","14":"tag-netflix-mma","15":"tag-salahdine-parnasse","16":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=588203"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588203\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/588204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=588203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=588203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=588203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}