Vadim Nemkov says UFC fighters get 'mere pennies', claims he earns double in PFL

PFL heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov has criticised fighter pay in the UFC, calling the promotion a "huge money-making machine" whose athletes receive "mere pennies". The Russian made the comments in an interview with the YouTube project Ushatayka, which was picked up by Sports.ru on October 27 and by Sherdog, Sport-Express and AllBoxing on October 28. Nemkov (20-2, 1 NC) also said pay was the main reason he has not signed with the UFC.

'The fighters get paid mere pennies'

Nemkov argued that the people who put on the show are not rewarded in line with the money the UFC generates or with the damage the sport does to their health.

"The UFC is a huge money-making machine, so to speak," Nemkov said, as translated by Sherdog. "There are massive sums involved, and the fighters get paid mere pennies. Those who put on the show, those who make the fights happen, they should be earning much more because of the heavy toll on their health."

He added that it was "very sad" to see former UFC fighters who "can't find their way and live very meager lives" after their careers end. Without naming anyone, he described an event he attended where many MMA veterans were present: "Half of them looked like regular blue-collar workers in worn-out shirts."

Why he stays in PFL

Asked whether money was the reason he never moved to the UFC, Nemkov said: "For the most part."

"When you can, roughly speaking, earn twice as much here. If I fight here once, there I would have to fight three times," he said. Sport-Express quoted the same point as: "In PFL you can earn twice as much. Here I need to fight once, and in the UFC you need to fight three times a year. There is a difference."

Nemkov did not give any figures for his own PFL contract, and the comparison is his own claim. Neither the UFC nor PFL had responded publicly to the remarks at the time of writing.

Who is Vadim Nemkov

The 34-year-old is a former Bellator light heavyweight champion and a long-time member of Fedor Emelianenko's team. He moved up to heavyweight in 2024 and won the PFL heavyweight title last December by submitting Renan Ferreira with a first-round arm-triangle choke. According to PFL, he is unbeaten in his last 15 appearances.

Next up: title defence in Dubai

Nemkov's next fight is his first PFL heavyweight title defence. He meets fellow Russian and former training partner Sergei Bilostenniy in the main event of PFL Dubai on Saturday, November 14, at Coca-Cola Arena. The 15-fight card was finalised on October 27.

The comments add another voice to the long-running debate over how much of the UFC's revenue goes to fighters, a topic that has followed the promotion for years and comes up regularly among fighters who compete elsewhere.