“Until Conor McGregor”: Dana White Claims Ronda Rousey Once Outearned Every Fighter on the UFC Roster

The UFC might be notorious for not paying their fighters a fair wage. But that hasn’t stopped bossman Dana White from talking about gender equality when it comes to wages, highlighting how Ronda Rousey was the biggest earner in the promotion at one point in time, before Conor McGregor’s big splash. Well, Rousey’s star power was an exception. Can the money earned by the women’s MMA pioneer be taken as a sign of pay equality across the promotion?

Rousey was once UFC’s ticket to the mainstream. She was an Olympic medalist who tore through the women’s division in her prime. Rousey had the right persona and performance to boot and became a legit star breaking out of the average fighter’s mold.

Rousey forayed into Hollywood too, becoming part of successful movie franchises like the Fast and Furious and The Expendables. At her height, she was even a regular on late-night talk shows including with Conan O’Brien.

So if the UFC was paying Rousey the highest amount among fighters during her time in the promotion (from 2012 to 2016), she deserved it too. White, while highlighting her pay, did mention how Ronda not only took the money but also pushed up the revenue for the promotion.

“When Ronda Rousey was here, Ronda Rousey made more money than everybody until Conor McGregor hit the scene. She was the highest-paid athlete in the company because she brought in the most money,” said White on Mark Bouris podcast.

Essentially, White was reiterating the basic tenet of UFC’s revenue model. Fighter pay is, and has always been, driven by revenue and viewership numbers, rather than gender. If a fighter generates the most interest and revenue, they will be compensated accordingly.

However, that is not even the point the critics of UFC’s pay structure are trying to make. Whether fighters fill up seats or not, they risk their health and lives every time they walk inside an octagon. So they should be party to a chunk of the profit that the UFC makes. However, compared to other combat sports like boxing, UFC’s reputation is abysmal in this.

UFC fighters reportedly get about 14-18% of the company’s revenue share, while boxing ensures that its athletes get paid about 62% of the revenue. Of course, the UFC is just one promotion, and boxing has a far more decentralized structure, with many sanctioning bodies operating in the professional realms. But the pay disparity point remains valid.

So, White stating that the UFC pays fighters according to their crowd-drawing ability rather than gender seems more like an attempt to deflect attention from the actual argument. Then again, it is not the first time the UFC boss has spun narratives in a different direction.

White claims ‘drug issues’ make Jon Jones more impressive

Jon Jones has been in the UFC since the 2000s and has won against at least two generations of light heavyweight fighters. He is probably the greatest 205-pounder of all time. And now, with a title in the heavyweight division, he has added more credence to his GOAT argument.

However, his multiple drug infractions when he was a 205-lb champion, have dented his case too. Fans and former fighters have regularly highlighted this to question Jones’ credibility. UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, who Jones should be fighting but happily avoiding, has also questioned it.

However, White has a different stance on the matter. He claimed that these issues make Jones’ achievements more incredible. During an interview with Piers Morgan, White stood firm in his belief that Jones was the GOAT.

“I disagree 100%. What you deserve, and what you go out and get, are two totally different things… when you think about the lifestyle he was living outside of the octagon, it actually makes it more impressive,”  said the UFC president.

Many will not agree with White’s opinion of Jones. However, it is what he believes to be true. And, whether it’s fighter pay or the GOAT debate, it doesn’t seem like the UFC president is too inclined to move from his staunch positions.