TJ Dillashaw Reveals Surprisingly Low Pay for First UFC Title Win

Former multi-time UFC champion TJ Dillashaw has recently disclosed the surprisingly meager compensation he received when he first claimed a world title.

In 2014, Dillashaw scored a monumental upset victory over Renan Barao, who was then considered one of the sport's top pound-for-pound fighters, to capture the UFC bantamweight championship. He repeated this feat the following year. While Dillashaw would later secure the belt a second time, his career faced significant hurdles, including injuries and a failed drug test, which disrupted his momentum. Nevertheless, he remains a pivotal figure in the UFC's bantamweight division, recognized for his impactful tenure.

During a recent appearance on "The JAXXON Podcast," Dillashaw shed light on his earnings during that career-defining moment. "My life changed completely after beating Barao," Dillashaw stated. "I was on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ contract. I was fighting for a world title for $18,000. You're on a 10-fight contract when you come off ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ starting at $10,000 to show and $10,000 to win. After three wins, you go to $14,000/$14,000, and after another three wins, you get to $18,000/$18,000. So I was getting $18,000 to show and $18,000 to win against the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and I just shocked the world."

While controversy will always surround Dillashaw's career, his peak performances marked him as one of the most elite bantamweight fighters in mixed martial arts. Though his legacy is undeniably tainted by past issues, his name is inextricably linked with other bantamweight greats like Dominick Cruz, Cody Garbrandt, and Henry Cejudo, a testament to his significant accomplishments in the sport.