“They were willing to give him $2 million” – CM Punk receives backing from UFC icon amid criticism over his pay from organization

Despite facing criticism for his UFC payout, CM Punk has found support from former UFC fighter and WWE star Chael Sonnen.

The root of the issue began when ex-UFC titleholder Demetrious Johnson posted a video on his YouTube channel, in which he alleged that the UFC and Dana White were not paying him adequately.

‘Mighty Mouse’ also called out CM Punk in the video, questioning the possibility of the WWE star receiving a pay-per-view bonus on top of his already substantial base salary for his UFC debut.

“Let’s look at CM Punk. This guy comes in and gets a base salary of $500,000. There were also potential pay-per-view bonuses and other financial incentives included in his contract. I had to defend the f**king belt [11] times and I couldn’t even get this.”

At the 13:43 mark, be sure to watch Demetrious Johnson’s remarks in the video below.

Sonnen defended Punk and clarified that his main motivation for competing in the UFC was not money.

‘The American Gangster’ asserted that although Punk could have earned $2 million for the fight, he ultimately agreed to receive $750,000.

“He had the courage to [compete in the UFC] and then, out comes the payment and that sent everybody over the edge… So now, you’ve got a guy with no experience, who has placement on a [main] card and who just made more money. Therefore, he’s a jerk, as opposed to understanding that he did not negotiate. As opposed to understanding that they were willing to give him $2 million but they offered $750,000 and he said, ‘Yes.’ because it wasn’t about the money. It was a bucket list… these are all parts of the story that get left out.”

Take a look at Chael Sonnen’s remarks starting at the 4:05 mark in the video below:

CM Punk’s Performance in the UFC

Despite competing in the multi-billion dollar promotion, CM Punk’s UFC journey came to an abrupt end after only participating in two fights at the age of 45.

At UFC 203, Punk made his debut against Mickey Gall. The fight lasted only one round, with Gall securing a victory by rear-naked choke submission over Punk.

Punk’s second UFC bout took place at UFC 225 against Mike Jackson. The fight lasted the full 15 minutes and Jackson was ultimately declared the victor by unanimous decision.

The outcome was eventually modified to a no contest after ‘The Truth’ was found to have tested positive for marijuana.