“F*ck Off With That”: Joe Rogan Rips UFC’s Show and Win Bonus Pay Structure

Longtime UFC color commentator Joe Rogan has never been one to censor his opinions, even when targeting the exact promotion that signs his checks. During a recent episode of his podcast alongside former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, Rogan unleashed a fiery tirade against the UFC’s traditional show-and-win payment model.

Under the promotion's standard contract structure, fighters earn a flat show purse to compete, doubling their total payout only if the referee raises their hand in victory. Rogan made it clear that splitting athlete compensation down the middle is completely unfair to fighters putting everything on the line.

“Dude, that is the most bullshit part of the UFC,” Rogan vented during the interview. “You get both your paychecks? F*ck off. F*ck off with that. I hate it. That drives me nuts.”

Sterling playfully chimed in to lighten the mood, offering a potential shortcut: “I know the boss. We could talk to him.”

Rogan scoffed at the idea, arguing that making athletes depend on split judging decisions or flukey outcomes to collect their full earnings actively harms fighters and their families. He insisted that elite martial artists already push themselves to absolute exhaustion, meaning win bonuses fail to add any real motivation.

A Growing Push for Fair Compensation

Rogan is far from the only high-profile figure calling out combat sports pay structures. Over the years, dozens of marquee athletes have voiced serious frustration with UFC payout models, with former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou serving as the ultimate precedent. Ngannou famously walked away from the organization while still holding the title, forfeiting millions to secure better payout terms and athlete freedoms elsewhere.

Meanwhile, YouTube personality turned boxer Jake Paul has made fighter pay a primary talking point throughout his combat sports career. Paul regularly attacks top executives over athlete revenue splits, citing the issue as his core motivation for founding Most Valuable Promotions.

While UFC management continuously defends the show-and-win model as a key driver for exciting fights, Rogan’s blunt outburst highlights an ongoing shift across the sport. When the lead broadcast voice of MMA calls out the UFC’s wage structure on his podcast, it signals trouble for the company.