"Negotiate more money" - Georges St-Pierre warns UFC’s new Paramount deal could spell trouble for fighters

Georges St-Pierre recently expressed his concerns regarding the UFC's new broadcast deal, suggesting that it may not be beneficial for the fighters on the roster.

The UFC has secured a historic broadcast rights agreement valued at approximately $7.7 billion over seven years with Paramount. As part of this deal, all UFC content and live events will be available on Paramount+ and CBS, and the pay-per-view model will be eliminated.

In a recent discussion with Covers, St-Pierre noted that the removal of the pay-per-view model could weaken the fighters' ability to negotiate higher payouts with the promotion. He said:

"It could be good for the UFC, as a promoter, terrible for the fighters, because when I was competing, I was able to have a great argument to negotiate on my contract. I could tell the UFC, 'Hey, if you want me to do all the promotion, I want to become a partner. I want a piece of the pie to negotiate a part of the pay-per-view revenue. Because if I'm doing all the promotion, I'm helping you, but you need to help me. You need to make me a partner."

He added:

"So it might be a bad thing for the fighters in a way that they have less leverage. That's what I think. I think it’s going to take off some leverage for the big names to have an argument to negotiate more money."

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When Dana White was displeased with Georges St-Pierre for going on break

Georges St-Pierre is widely regarded as one of the standout fighters in UFC history. However, after his welterweight title defense at UFC 167 in 2013, 'Rush' voluntarily vacated the title and took a hiatus from the sport.

In the post-fight press conference following UFC 167, Dana White expressed his disappointment with St-Pierre's decision and commented:

"Did he say he wants to retire? He didn't say, 'I'm gonna retire, I'm hanging it up. It's been great, everybody. Thanks a lot for all the years. See you later.' He said, 'I'm gonna take some time off.' First off, that decision that happens, you don't just say, 'Oh, I'm going to take a while time off. Maybe I'll be back, maybe I won't.' ... You owe it to the fans, you owe it to the belt, you owe it to this company, and you owe it to Johny Hendricks give him that opportunity for him to fight again, unless you’re going to retire."

Check out Dana White's comments on Georges St-Pierre below (3:30):