Cruz wants more pay from UFC: 'What I'm asking for is what I'm worthy of'

Dominick Cruz is once again a UFC champion. Now he wants to be paid like one.

"The Dominator" regained the bantamweight championship with a split-decision win against T.J. Dillashaw in January and he plans to talk to the UFC brass about amending his contract. For the win, Cruz received a disclosed pay of $110,000 ($55,000 to show, $55,000 to win), on the low end of salaries for current UFC champions.

For comparison's sake, lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos was paid $300,000 and welterweight champion Robbie Lawler made $500,000 in their most recent defenses. Current featherweight champ Conor McGregor and former women's bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey are rumored to be signed to seven-figure deals.

Even Demetrious Johnson, a champion who hasn't drawn strong viewership numbers, was paid $133,000 in show money alone for his last fight.

The Dillashaw match was only Cruz's second appearance in over four years, so he's realistic about the situation. But he still feels like he's an undervalued asset.

"I know I'm not bringing in the amount of butts in the seats as Conor McGregor or Ronda Rousey, and I'm not asking for probably what they're getting because they bring the butts to the seats," Cruz told Mike Bohn of MMAjunkie.com. "What I'm asking is what I'm worthy of, and I want to see what they're thinking because I know what I'm capable of doing not just in this division, but think about what I've done in the UFC for the past three years out.

"It's not like I've just been sitting on my hands doing nothing. I've been promoting the division, I've been promoting the UFC, I've been promoting the sport, and I've been teaching people about the sport. Shoot, I taught T.J. Dillashaw his entire style, from the desk."