Due to the influx of influencers in combat sports, the fighters are getting a bigger paycheck day by day. Even MMA athletes are reaping the benefits of this development. For example, Conor McGregor, Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley, and Ben Askren competed in boxing matches to earn a huge payday. Recently, MMA star Nate Diaz became the latest MMA fighter to venture into this genre. There have been reports of ‘Stockton Slapper’ earning around $20 million payday for his match. Thus, it wasn’t surprising when a former UFC title challenger also expressed his desire for a ‘gimmicky’ fight in an interview with Sportslens.
The exhibition fighting scene has blown up to such a big extent that two of the richest men on the planet have expressed their interest in combat sports. Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are quite serious about their fight and many MMA fighters have taken their side, such as Jon Jones and Israel Adesanya. Former UFC star Darren Till also wants to join the bracket.
Darren Till wants a big money ‘Gimmicky fight’ and train Mark Zuckerberg
Former UFC fighter Darren Till recently sat down for an interview with Sportslens. During the interview, Till was berating and downplaying exhibition fights, calling them ‘gimmicky’.
However, he changed tunes and revealed that he would be open to an exhibition fight provided for a good payday. He also touched upon the Zuckerberg vs. Musk fight and expressed his desire to train the Meta CEO.
Till said, “Yeah I mean I would [train Mark Zuckerberg] but; the only thing with that is obviously all these YouTube fights and everything now. I’m, you know, I’ll be chasing them and everything like that. That’s good and well outside your UFC. I mean, it’s all gimmicky but you know what. If you got the offer, you’d be stupid to turn it down.“
MMA fighters are bound to contracts and stable pay. However, in exhibition fights, the fighters can get a bigger payday than their entire contract duration, thus many MMA fighters are crossing over to exhibition fights after their contract ends. Recently, it was Nate Diaz who fought YouTuber turned-boxer Jake Paul.
Nate Diaz ventured into boxing after his exit from UFC
Nate Diaz last fought for the UFC back in UFC 279 on September 10, 2022, against Tony Ferguson. Despite winning his last fight, he chose to bow away from the UFC in search of new opportunities. Due to his old rivalry with Jake Paul, Nate Diaz chose to fight him in a professional 10-round boxing match.
Although Diaz suffered a defeat against Jake Paul, he earned one of the biggest paydays of his career. There are rumors suggesting that the amount is somewhere around $20 million. Since the payday will be more than he ever got in UFC, Diaz will not regret his decision to fight Paul.
Now, Till wants to follow suit and also venture into an exhibition fight. Having already left UFC upon the completion of his contract, UFC or Dana White won’t be a hindrance in the process should an opportunity arise.
