Internet star and podcaster Logan Paul just made big money last weekend when he faced Floyd Mayweather Jr. in an exhibition boxing match. The 26-year-old Paul, who already has a reported net worth of $19 million, purportedly made millions more after going eight full rounds with one of the greatest boxers of this generation.
Seeing Paul make a huge payday upset top-tier UFC fighters like reigning heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and former middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa. But for long-time color commentator Joe Rogan, it’s a harsh reality that fighters today need to come to terms with.
“This is what’s going on now where a bunch of fighters are upset because Logan Paul and Floyd Mayweather just fought, and Logan Paul made $20 million and Floyd Mayweather made $100 million,” Rogan told lawyer Josh Dubin in a recent episode of his Joe Rogan Experience podcast. “And they’re looking at this, like, ‘Hey, what about me? How come I’m not making that kind of money?’
“What they have to understand is, whether you like it or not, even if you are the elite of the elite, a Kamaru Usman or Stylebender, the best fighters in the UFC. Even the elite of the elite… the money comes from people wanting to buy your pay-per-view. It’s real simple.
“It shouldn’t, maybe. Maybe in a perfect world, it’s the most skillful fighter that gets the most amount of money. But that’s not how it works here.”
Rogan continues…
“In the world of combat sports, professional prizefighting, it’s all about how many eyes are gonna watch you,” he explained. “And that f—ng Logan Paul kid has a lot of eyes on him. He’s had a YouTube channel since he was 14 years old, he’s been on Disney shows, he’s this controversial, larger-than-life internet celebrity.
“And people are willing to pay a lot of money to see if he can box with literally one of the greatest fighters that’s ever lived in Floyd Mayweather.”
Recent reports claim that Mayweather vs. Paul generated more than one million PPV buys which likely equates to $50 million in revenue, stream crashes notwithstanding.
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