Arman Tsarukyan still isn’t making a lot of money off fighting, despite being the No. 2 ranked lightweight in the UFC.
Tsarukyan is set to fight Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar on November 22nd, and a win would put him right back in line for a lightweight title shot. The belt is important to him not just because of legacy, but because that’s where the big money starts rolling in.
During a new interview on his YouTube channel the ‘spoiled rich kid’ laid out how his current UFC pay shakes out, and without a win he walks away with practically no money.
“This [300k] is for victory. If you lose, you earn something like 100k,” Tsarukyan said. “30% goes to taxes. 5% for the gym, 5% for the trainers, 15% for managers, two to three months of preparation, and end up at zero. But if you win, you get a bonus. That is motivation. But in general, you’re kind of fighting at a loss most of the time. Sponsorship contracts, that is how I earn money.”
Tsarukyan shrugged off the pay disparity between UFC fighters and boxers like Canelo Alvarez, who reportedly made $150 million for his fight against Terence “Bud” Crawford earlier this year.
“That is boxing,” he said simply. “In 100 years, UFC will have this money.”
“There are not millions,” he added. “Well, if you put on a good fight and be in the main event of the evening, you can earn that. But it’s still not what you want.”
“Let’s say you train so much, spend so much, you want to earn big money like basketball players, like American football players. I just don’t look for that, that’s why I don’t earn much now. I know that I will earn big money when I become champion.”
Tsarukyan will have to put on a strong performance against Hooker in Qatar to erase the memory of his last title shot, which was aborted last-minute due to a bad weight cut and back issues.