‘Some of these guys are making a million, $1.5 million’: Logan Storley believes NIL money leading to less wrestlers doing MMA

2025 PFL World Tournament: First Round — Logan Storley | Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Wrestling might still serve as the best foundation for athletes coming to MMA but it seems like less and less of the best athletes from that sport are making the move these days.

Logan Storley, who was a four-time All-American at the University of Minnesota, believes there are a number of factors at play when it comes to wrestlers deciding whether or not to try MMA. In years past, it was almost a natural transition for wrestlers who didn’t continue competing internationally to make the move to MMA, but Storley believes the money now available through lucrative name, image and likeness (NIL) rights deals is changing the game.

“Right now we’re in a weird time with MMA with NIL money coming in and we’re not seeing as many wrestlers come over,” Storley told MMA Fighting. “NIL has changed a lot. Guys are getting paid a lot of money. So we haven’t seen a ton of wrestlers come over.”

While wrestling programs don’t see nearly the same influx of cash being spent on athletes as football or basketball, there’s still money being paid out, especially to the top competitors.

Fellow Minnesota wrestler and Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson actually became the first athlete that World Wrestling Entertainment signed to an NIL deal back in 2021. Terms of the deal were not disclosed but it’s safe to say Steveson earned a decent income from WWE.

Storley knows the best wrestlers are making top dollar from NIL deals and it’s hard to earn that kind of money before moving to MMA, where athletes are paid little at the start of their careers.

“Some of these guys are making a million, $1.5 million—with your top recruits, do you come fight after that?” Storley said. “Put it away, be smart about it.

“That’s the hard part about it. Is the hunger different? Your teams are different because guys are leaving, the transfer portal, the team looks different, everything is different now.”

In addition to the money available to athletes that wasn’t there before, Storley knows there are also fewer options available at the highest levels of MMA right now.

The UFC is a money-making juggernaut and the PFL is the promotion Storley calls home, but the vast majority of MMA shows happening these days take place regionally.

“I think the landscape of MMA has changed,” Storley said. “With Contender Series and less guys on the roster with PFL, Bellator’s gone, it’s changed a little bit. Wrestling has some money and there’s no security in your early career in MMA. That’s just the truth of it. The first few years are very, very tough and I think with guys making money over there and going into coaching and coaching roles, you have a little more security.

“More guys just getting regular jobs and just don’t want to do [MMA]. I think it will be interesting the next five years what it looks like with wrestlers coming over. It’s definitely changing. Will it continue to change? I don’t know.”

Storley also knows burnout is real with wrestlers because most athletes in that sport start training and competing at a young age. By the time some wrestlers graduate from college, they’ve kept a grueling schedule for 10 to 15 years and that takes a toll.

“Some guys just want to do something else,” Storley said. “I don’t fault them, especially guys in the Big 10, you’ve got a Big 10 degree so I think we’re just seeing guys that have wrestled and competed their whole lives and it’s changing.

“They’ve been doing two-a-days since they’re 8 years old. Some guys don’t want to do it anymore. It’s an interesting run we’ve had with MMA and wrestling.”

For Storley, he always saw MMA as his future and he’s happy with the decision he made as he prepares to compete in the semifinals of the ongoing PFL welterweight tournament on Thursday.

He can’t say for certain if more wrestlers are going to follow in his footsteps, but he acknowledges the sheer number of athletes moving from that sport to MMA has definitely dwindled.

“I wanted to fight,” Storley said. “I was super excited to fight. I had a great career and I’m super proud of what I’ve done over here. Does that change it if you’re getting paid like that? Is your MMA career the same? Would it have been nice? Yeah, an 18- or 19-year-old kid getting paid that kind of money, but I’m happy where MMA has brought me and what it’s done for my life.”

‘Some of these guys are making a million, $1.5 million’: Logan Storley believes NIL money leading to less wrestlers doing MMA

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