Michael Chandler indicated that the UFC's fighter pay practices are fairer than the MMA community acknowledges. His comments came recently, after the UFC and Paramount struck a historic media rights deal valued at $7.7 billion, with an average annual value of $1.1 billion.During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Chandler was asked whether he believes there would be a trickle-down effect on fighters' salaries with the UFC-Paramount deal.Chandler expressed his view that the UFC compensates its fighters more generously than is typically recognized within the MMA community:"There's a lot more money being happening inside the UFC and the sport of mixed martial arts than the UFC will ever gloat about, than the UFC will ever brag about. That's just the way they like to run their business. But I think a lot of us are doing pretty fine."Check out Michael Chandler's comments below (0:01):For context, fighter pay has been a major point of criticism against the UFC, with many observers arguing that the promotion does not share a fair portion of profits with the fighters. This issue has resurfaced in light of the recent UFC-Paramount deal.Michael Chandler advises UFC fighters to be patient about re-negotiating contractsThe UFC-Paramount deal is set to take effect from January 2026, following the expiration of the promotion's current contract with ESPN at the end of 2025. A significant aspect of the deal is the transition away from the traditional pay-per-view model.While this change will make sport more accessible to fans by reducing costs, it raises concerns about the impact on fighter pay since fighters previously received a share of PPV sales.During the aforementioned interaction, Ariel Helwani asked Michael Chandler if he believes the UFC will revise fighters' contracts to accommodate the loss of the pay-per-view component. In response, Chandler suggested that fighters and managers may have already begun negotiations with the UFC. He said:"This deal just got announced a little over 24 hours ago. Let a little bit of dust settle. Everybody worry about the things that they can control, which is them taking care of themselves right now, them training right now. But ultimately, I think this is nothing but good for everybody involved." [1:07]Chandler then offered his prediction for the future of fighter pay in MMA:"I think that fighters, ultimately, just like 30 years into the NFL, just like 30 years into the MLB, just like 30 years into every major sport, the money will continue to grow, but it can't just grow overnight."Although many questions about the implications of the new deal remain unanswered, UFC CEO Dana White has praised the deal as beneficial for the fighters.