Costa contrasts Rampage's $7 million UFC payday with Barcelos' estimated $100k earnings

Paulo Costa has renewed his public criticism of UFC fighter pay, using a resurfaced clip of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson to draw a sharp contrast between the promotion’s past and present compensation structures.

The clip, which features UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland interviewing former light heavyweight champion Jackson, shows Jackson claiming he earned $7 million — including pay-per-view compensation — for his 2007 victory over Chuck Liddell. Costa seized on the figure to highlight what he views as a stark disparity in how the UFC now pays its fighters.

Jackson explained that the payday stemmed from a contract he originally signed with the World Fighting Alliance, where his manager also held a promotional role. That arrangement gave Jackson unusually favourable pay-per-view terms, which the UFC was obligated to honour after its parent company acquired WFA assets in December 2006.

“I left Pride. My manager, he became like the manager of the show. So, he knew exactly that it was his biggest deal. They didn’t want to have pay-per-view, so he gave me a crazy pay-per-view deal. Then Dana White bought WFA and had to honor my pay-per-view deal,” Jackson told Strickland.

Costa drew a direct comparison between that figure and the estimated earnings of Raoni Barcelos, who suffered a fifth-round stoppage loss to Raul Rosas Jr. last month. Barcelos, 39, lost consciousness during a grappling exchange in what Costa described as a fight that carried serious neurological risk.

“UFC paid Rampage 7 million to fight Chuck what is comprehensive,” Costa wrote on X. “Not comparing fighters relevance but comparing it with Barcelos x Rosas Jr 5 rds and had serious injuries on brain damage, made 80k~100k?? Raoni Barcelos is around 40s and probably retired due to that injury.”

Costa did not claim the two fighters are of equivalent star power, but framed the comparison as a broader argument about the gap between what the UFC once paid veterans under inherited contracts and what it currently offers fighters who endure significant physical damage. The post adds to a long-running pattern of Costa using his social media platform to challenge the UFC’s pay structure, a debate that has gained renewed attention across the sport.