Several UFC fans and pundits have often bashed the promotion due to its low fighter payouts. Some reports reveal that about a third of the entire UFC roster is underpaid. However, the UFC CEO, Dana White, recently presented a counter explanation to this narrative. In a recent appearance on an episode of Vivek Ramaswamy’s ‘The TRUTH Podcast’, White talked about how UFC fighters can make a healthy amount of money just by sticking with the company. He also counted this as a perk that the UFC offers over boxing.
White used the example of the noted long-time UFC lightweight, Jim Miller, to support his explanation. Initially, he mentioned how boxers without a massive following make meager amounts of money from their fights. Thereafter, he also explained that such boxers (called “journeymen”) continue to make meager fight purses from their fights even after spending years in the sport.
The 54-year-old counted the UFC to be a lot better in this regard. He pulled up ‘A-10’ Miller’s name to explain how he had earned “millions of dollars” from the UFC, despite never being a champion or a coveted face. White also disclosed that Miller managed to earn such an amount just because he had managed to stick together with the UFC for years. An ‘X’ account revealed the section of the podcast where White spoke about all of this. Some of his words were:
“If you ask most people who Jim Miller is, they don’t know. And the guy has made millions of dollars.”
Dana White talks fighter pay.
Full podcast here:https://t.co/oTJisoLOfk pic.twitter.com/MWsKN91Vd9
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) January 30, 2024
However, the comments section of the ‘X’ post revealed that fans had multiple objections about Dana White’s portrayal of the entire situation. Otherwise, the UFC authorities wouldn’t have been fighting an Antitrust lawsuit currently.
The Antitrust Lawsuit can cost Dana White and Co. more than a billion dollars
In August 2023, one of the US federal courts recognized an antitrust lawsuit filed against the UFC as a class act. A collection of 1200 ex and current UFC fighters filed the lawsuit. It accused the former UFC owners, ‘Zuffa’, of using unfair tactics to gain market dominance. Pertinently, the lawsuit also accused the UFC of underpaying its fighters for several years. Reports also suggest that the UFC authorities may have to accept a huge blow of up to $4.8B if they fail to defend themselves.
But, the UFC CEO is presenting a completely different narrative in such appearances. Hence, several fans may be trapped in confusion about which party to believe in this situation. Well, there are several pieces of information available in the public domain about UFC fighter pay. However, the noted YouTuber-boxer, Jake Paul, has been calling out White specifically about his meager fighter payouts for a long time now. Diving deep into his videos may provide fans with an idea about the information that White doesn’t reveal about UFC fighter payouts.
