New Headline: "Michael Bisping vs. Chuck Liddell: The Epic MMA Match to Change History!

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC Michael Bisping has come to the UFC’s defence amid ongoing criticism over fighter pay. The issue of how much fighters are paid has been back in the spotlight recently, with Ronda Rousey’s return adding fuel to the fire. Rousey, who is set to fight on Jake Paul’s first Netflix-promoted MMA event, didn’t hold back when criticising the UFC, openly calling them out over pay issues and more.

Despite the noise around fighter pay, there was some positive news for the UFC this week. On Monday, they locked down Alex Pereira with a new eight-fight contract, keeping one of their top names on board for the foreseeable future. Michael Bisping says UFC Champions are well compensated Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC At 38, ‘Poatan’ probably has just two or three fights left before calling time on his career, so an eight-fight deal essentially covers the rest of his fighting days.

Many UFC fans haven’t taken kindly to this move, especially given how the sport’s landscape seems to be shifting. But former champion Michael Bisping has come out in support of the Brazilian’s choice to commit his future to the UFC. “I assume he was making somewhere around $3 million to $4 million per fight, this new deal, which probably does lock him up for the rest of his combat sports life is probably going to be around the $6 million range,” Bisping said in a video on his YouTube channel.

Despite Bisping’s remarks, not everyone at the top is content. Recently, former champion Jon Jones publicly requested a release from his long-term contract after expressing dissatisfaction with recent offers from the promotion. Bisping continued by saying that Pereira is being “compensated accordingly,” even though he hasn’t seen any specifics of Pereira’s new contract.