Dana White has recalled people going "crazy" when they discovered how much CM Punk was being paid by the UFC.
At the end of 2014, during the UFC 181 pay-per-view broadcast in Las Vegas, it was confirmed that the company had agreed to sign Phil “CM Punk” Brooks on a multi-year deal.
Despite having never stepped into the octagon, the professional wrestler said he was going "full steam ahead" ahead of a soon-to-be-announced welterweight debut against Mickey Gall.
Sadly for the Chicago-born fighter, Gall would prevail at UFC 203. In fact, Punk would suffer another defeat on his two-fight record, when he lost via unanimous decision to Mike Jackson at UFC 225.
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Punk was soon advised to "call it a wrap" by UFC president Dana White and he never fought for the MMA promotion again. So how much did he get paid for his exploits?
According to a copy of Punk's UFC contract unsealed in the ongoing UFC Antitrust Lawsuit, the 45-year-old received a fixed payment of $500,000 for his debut fight against Gall.
In fact, a report from MMA Fighting says an expert in the lawsuit claimed the current WWE star actually took home $1,042,736 for his loss to Gall based on pay-per-view bonuses and 'other sweeteners'.
A conversation between Dana White and an attorney has also emerged in recent days. Here's how that chat went down:
DW: "We had some guy that was – that was paid a certain amount of money and never – oh, the professional wrestler that we brought in. Not Brock [Lesnar], the other one."
Attorney: "CM Punk?"
Dana White: "Oh, yeah. People went crazy when they saw what he got paid. Even the women."
As mentioned by White, there was a strong reaction to CM's earnings.
After making his octagon debut, then-UFC bantamweight Cat Zingano tweeted: “CM Punk made $500k on his entry fight while the rest of us pay to fight? Y’all should be ashamed UFC."
Former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos also reacted, saying: “Nothing against CM Punk make half million for his MMA debut but I think champs should be [making] that too, people who dedicated [an] entire life.”
One thing cannot be disputed, though. Punk helped elevate the UFC 203 event in September 2016, with the card generating a reported $26,995,500.
It is believed Punk’s pay represented around four percent of those earnings.
Topics: Dana White, UFC, WWE
Jack Kenmare