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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Harry Davies

UFC star claims 700 fighters would be released if Jake Paul succeeds with campaign

UFC light-heavyweight Sam Alvey has claimed more than 700 fighters would be released if Jake Paul 's pay campaign is successful.

Paul wants UFC fighters to earn a minimum of $50,000 a fight, receive 50 per cent of the promotion's profits and be issued with long-term healthcare.

The 25-year-old has gone back and forth with Dana White over pay issues, slamming the UFC boss for "underpaying" his fighters.

Some fighters have shown their support for Paul's ideas whilst others have questioned the legitimacy of his campaign.

And Alvey thinks if the promotion were to introduce Paul's campaign the roster would be cut by almost 90 per cent.

Jake Paul is a clown and he is not trying to help fighter pay, he is trying to help himself," Alvey told Full Mount MMA.

Jake Paul has campaigned for UFC fighters to earn more money (PA)

"Every fight sells when you either want to see somebody win or see somebody get knocked out. Jake Paul has figured out that everyone wants to see him get knocked out so he wants to try and switch that narrative.

"So he goes after the low-hanging fruit that sounds great to everyone, 'pay fighters more'... If UFC, Dana White, any of those guys were to do what Jake Paul is asking, he wouldn't get us paid more.

"He would eliminate the roster of the UFC. We would go from a roster of what 800 to down to 75."

"It would be the Jon Jones', Francis Ngannous, Conor McGregors and then a bunch of people to feed to them, that's the way it would go.

Alvey, who has lost seven of his last eight UFC fights, has been impressed by the UFC's adjustments to fighter pay in recent years.

The 35-year-old said he was guaranteed just $8,000 when he debuted for the promotion in 2014, with that figure now being bumped up to $12,000 for debuting fighters.

What are your thoughts on UFC fighter pay? Let us know in the comments section below

He also claimed to make more money for his last fight than a pair of former UFC legends did when they competed for world titles over a decade ago.

"The UFC is doing a very good, very proactive adjustment to it's pay. When I started fighting in the UFC, I made $8,000 to show $8,000 to win, he added.

"Right now it's up to $12,000 to show $12,000 to win for your first UFC fight. You find me any other job in the world, a 50 per cent increase in 9 years of the base pay, you'd be hard pressed to do it.

"I currently make more money than Joe Stevenson and Gray Maynard did when they fought for titles, the UFC's pay is going up dramatically every year."

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