Justin Jaynes meets Charles Rosa in the second bout of UFC Vegas 30 today (which begins at 1PM ET). The lightweight recently revealed he would be betting $25,000 on himself to win the fight. That amount equals what Jaynes stands to win if he beats Rosa.
Jaynes is an underdog in the fight and, should he win, the bet could net him around $62,000.
Jaynes admission has been met with some criticism. It’s unclear if betting on yourself in a pro sporting contest is even legal or in line with commission rules. Either way, the fact a UFC fighter feels the need to bet on themselves to earn more money can also be seen as an indictment on the UFC’s low pay structure.
Jaynes recently took to Instagram to release an impassioned response to those who aren’t keen on him risking thousands of dollars of his own money.
Here’s what he had to say (transcript via MMA Junkie):
“I just wanna tell everyone I really appreciate the positive energy I’m receiving and the negative energy I’m receiving, but at the end of the day I really just don’t give a fuck. It’s not your money. Let me bet what I wanna bet. I believe in myself, I believe in my coaching staff, I believe in my ability, I believe in my full training camp. …
“I’m taking a risk. My job is on the line, my UFC career is on the line, all the money that I’m gonna be making in this fight is on the line, and I love it. But I do wanna reiterate: I don’t give a fuck what any of you think. I’m getting these messages, ‘Oh my God, you’re about to be broke.’ Motherfucker, I was broke before. If I lose, I’ll be broke again, and I’ll figure it out. It’s not that serious to me.”
Jaynes joined the UFC with a 41 second KO of Frank Camacho in 2020. Since then he’s lost three straight.
Two months after the Camacho win he was submitted by Gavin Tucker. Four months after that he was TKO’d by a knee from Gabriel Benitez. In February he lost to Devonte Smith due to a badly swollen eye.
Jaynes’ three fight losing skid means it is likely that a loss to Rosa would spell his release from the company.
Rosa is a nine-fight UFC veteran who holds wins over Sean Soriano, Kyle Bochniak, Manny Bermudez and Kevin Aguilar. He lost his last contest, a unanimous decision to Darrick Minner, in February.
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