UFC CEO Dana White has never shied away from talking about fighter pay.
One of the biggest criticisms of boxing and mixed martial arts is that fighters are paid too little, but White has defended the salaries that UFC has paid its fighters and has received support from them.
Boxers can make more than $50 million a fight, while some lower-tier boxers don't make that much. But on Shannon Sharpe's podcast Club Shay Shay, White compared boxing to the UFC's pay, saying it's on life support.
“Boxing got so bad that nobody could make a living off it, so Saudi Arabia had to take over. The rich people don't care if they make money or lose money,” Whyte said (via GiveMeSport).
White then claimed that all UFC fighters are looked after from top to bottom, and said that if anyone doesn't like how fighters are paid, they should start their own MMA promotion.
“If you don't like the way things are run here, there's no barrier to entry, you can start your own MMA business and pay yourself what you want,” White said.
Dana White has criticized boxing's compensation model in the past.
This is not the first time Dana White has criticized boxing's compensation model.
In 2022, White said he doesn't care about criticism of fighter pay because fighters always want to make more money. He also slammed boxing, saying the sport is being ruined by the amount of money fighters are making.
“Fighters always want to make more money,” White told GQ (via BleacherReport ). “Boxing has been totally destroyed by money and everything that goes with it. That's not going to happen as long as I'm here. Trust me, they're only getting paid what they deserve. They're eating what they make. They take a cut of the pay-per-view sales and that money is split between all the fighters.
“If you don't like that, there's a simple solution to this problem – start your own MMA organization. There is no barrier to entry. Go for it. Pay what you want. It's been done before. What about others? It hasn't worked. Focus on yourself,” White added.
As long as White is in charge of the UFC, it seems unlikely fighters' pay will increase much.
