“I’m going to be honest with you,” the 43-year-old American told the Post on Thursday. “[This is] something I haven’t said about this particular topic: I’m kind of on the fence.

“I’m not going to lie. I get kind of defensive when they talk about pay, because the stigma of MMA fighters throughout my career in fighting is that we fight for chump change. That’s why we’re not as respected out in the sports world, cause people think we’re broke. People think we don’t make good money.”

“Some MMA fighters did well,” he added. “I never done [Floyd] Mayweather numbers. I never done the 30 million, 20 million dollar paydays. I never made that type of money, but some MMA fighters do OK.

“So I’m kind of torn. It’s kind of embarrassing that people don’t think we don’t make that much money.”

UFC 270: Fury invites Ngannou to ‘make some real money’

Much of the recent controversy surrounding fighter pay relates to UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. The Cameroonian-French knockout artist is currently locked in a tense contract dispute with the UFC, and after pocketing a disclosed US$600,000 for a victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 last weekend, could be a free agent by the year’s end.

Jackson suspects the current stalemate between Ngannou and the UFC comes down to the relationship between the heavyweight champion’s representation and company president Dana White.

“US$600,000 for him being a champion, for him defending his belt, that’s very low,” he said. “I wouldn’t be happy with that contract. I wouldn’t have signed that contract.”

“One thing I can say is it just worked out perfectly for me [in the UFC] because I have the perfect manager for MMA,” he added, alluding to former fighter Tiki Ghosn. “My manager sees eye-to-eye with Dana. Dana actually used to manage him years ago, back before he became the president of the UFC. So if I was still in the UFC, I think I would have a good deal.

“Unfortunately, back when I was in the UFC, I had managers that Dana didn’t like. If Dana don’t like you, if Dana don’t like your manager, you’re f*****.”

White has typically been bellicose when challenged about fighter pay, which tends to bother those pushing for fairer compensation.

Jackson, however, is willing to excuse the UFC boss’ belligerence on the topic as part of his personality.

“You can say a lot of good things and bad things about Dana,” he said. “What I’ve learned about Dana is Dana really loves the UFC. It’s like his baby.

“Who knows what the sport of MMA would be right now if it wasn’t for Dana. I think Dana deserves more respect than a lot of people give him, but at the same time, there’s a reason why people talk about him the way they talk about him. He’s very passionate and he’s not very politically correct. He’s like a Donald Trump.

UFC: Kamaru Usman reveals light heavyweight title plan

“Dana could be paying fighters a lot more, and the UFC could be paying fighters a lot more. I don’t like that part, but I’m not going to get mad at Dana for being Dana. It’s like me getting mad at a snake for biting me when I’m walking through the desert, know what I’m saying?”

The good news for fighters disillusioned with the UFC’s pay structure, is that there are alternatives available, from established promotions like ONE Championship and the Professional Fighters League to new additions like Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagle Fighting Championship and Triller Fight Club.

“I feel like this is the best time to be a free agent,” Jackson said. “The more events out there, the more organisations, the better for the fighters.”