PFL champion Nemkov: UFC fighters get “mere pennies”
Ahead of his title defence in Dubai, PFL heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov criticises UFC fighter pay – and explains why he never signed there.
Symbolic image · Photo: PFL MMA / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
PFL heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov (20-2, 1 NC) has sharply criticised fighter pay in the UFC. “The UFC is a huge money-making machine, so to speak,” the Russian said in an interview with Ushatayka, as reported by Sherdog. The fighters, however, get “mere pennies”; given the heavy toll on their health, they should be earning much more.
Without naming anyone, Nemkov described an event attended by many MMA veterans: “It's very sad to look at fighters who have ended their career.” Half of them looked like regular blue-collar workers in worn-out shirts. Earning potential was a major reason he did not move to the UFC: in the PFL, roughly speaking, he can earn twice as much. “If I fight here once, there I would have to fight three times.”
Nemkov defends his title on November 14 at PFL Dubai against Sergei Bilostenniy – the main event of the card.