PFL champion Nemkov reveals fighter pay drove him away from UFC: 'Mere pennies'

Vadim Nemkov, the Professional Fighters League heavyweight champion, has publicly criticised UFC fighter pay, saying the promotion’s athletes receive “mere pennies” relative to the enormous revenue it generates — and that the disparity was a primary reason he chose not to sign with the UFC.

Nemkov (20-2, 1 NC) made the comments in an interview with Ushatayka, where he described witnessing retired UFC fighters at an event who appeared to be struggling financially. Without naming individuals, he said the sight of veterans who had risked their long-term health for the sport and were now living modestly had a direct impact on his career decisions.

“The UFC is a huge money-making machine, so to speak,” Nemkov said. “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. It’s very sad to look at fighters who have ended their career, fought in the UFC, and then can’t find their way and live very meager lives.”

Nemkov went on to describe seeing a group of MMA veterans at an event, saying “half of them looked like regular blue-collar workers in worn-out shirts” — an image he cited as a cautionary tale about the sport’s financial realities at its highest-profile promotion.

On the question of earnings, Nemkov was direct about the financial calculus behind his choice to remain with the PFL. “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.

The comments add Nemkov’s voice to a long-running debate over fighter pay in MMA. The UFC has faced sustained criticism from current and former athletes, as well as from an ongoing antitrust lawsuit, over the share of revenue distributed to fighters. The promotion has consistently defended its compensation model.

Nemkov, who holds the PFL heavyweight title, has built one of the more decorated records in MMA outside the UFC. His remarks carry particular weight given that he is widely regarded as a world-class talent who had a credible path to competing in the UFC had he chosen to pursue it.