GSP: 5 Reasons The Greatest UFC Welterweight Ever Should Stay Retired

5. GSP Doesn't Need the Money

Fighter pay in MMA has been a hot-button topic over the last few years. You've got guys on UFC undercards putting on three-round wars making $8,000 - barely enough to cover training camps. A couple of fighters on overseas cards have outright said that they're fighting at a loss, just to get the exposure and a chance at a higher payday later in their career. GSP, however, doesn't have that issue. As the UFC's biggest consistent draw over the last several years, he was making solid performance money, plus sponsorships and PPV points. Lets consider this: Anderson Silva is the flashier fighter, but his PPVs usually sold less than GSP, with the exception of the odd boost by an opponent like Chael Sonnen. Silva might have been hurt by a language barrier, as GSP is bilingual and appeals to more than just his fans in Quebec, whereas Silva is somewhat limited to hardcore MMA fans and his Brazilian fanbase. Brock Lesnar pulled stronger numbers at his peak, but his career was over quick. Over the long hual, it's GSP who made the UFC the most money. He became a world-wide celebrity. Dana White has commented on him being "mobbed" by fans in foreign countries. He made $400,000 for his last fight, defeating Johnny Hendricks, however that's his base pay. GSP earns PPV dollars as well - a form of bonus that awards fighters, for example, $1 for every PPV order over a baseline. Again, as an example, lets say the base is 200,000 buys. You get no bonus if the PPV sells 200,000 orders or less. For every order between 200,000 and 400,000, however, you get an extra $1. For every order between 400,000 and 600,000, you get an extra $1.50, and beyond that, $2. This, again, is just an example but you can see how quickly your salary could go up, especially as GSP when you're doing in the 800-900K range for PPVs. Dana White, in talkng about fighter salaries in 2013, stated "We paid a guy $5 million for a fight before." It's commonly believed GSP is that fighter, based off PPV bonus numbers. GSP has also publicly stated that he makes $4-5 million per fight (at least towards the end of his career thus far), and celebritynetworth.com has him ranked as the richest MMA fighter, worth about $25 million. So lets be clear - GSP doesn't need the money.