UFC President Dana White has responded to criticism of the payment for UFC athletes compared to boxers but says “all those f*cking guys [boxers] are overpaid”.
In recent times, the issue of fighter pay has begun to pick up some steam and questions are continuing to be asked of the UFC about the compensation for their fighters.
This time, the particular highlight has been the pay of UFC compared to their pugilist counterparts. UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannnou earned a reported $600,000 in his first defenced of his title, compared to Tyson Fury, WBC heavyweight champion who bagged a paycheque of $33.6 million for his most recent defense against Dillian Whyte.
When making an appearance on the ‘Pivot Podcast,’ White would respond to the comparison, “one of the big problems with boxing to is that all those f*cking guys are overpaid”, White stated. “Every time they put on a fight it’s a going out of business sale. You know what I mean ‘we’re just trying to get as much money as we can from you guys and were out of here.
“You can’t build a league like that, you cant build a sport, you cant have 750 fighters under contract, making money, feeding their families every year with that kind of mentality. It doesn’t work you have to run a business.”
Is Dana White Right?
White has valid criticisms over the state of professional boxing in regards to the continued growth of the sport but over fighter pay? Although boxers can earn a considerable amount of money, the example of Fury earning $33.6 million for his latest fight is comparable to major sports leagues like the NHL and NFL whose revenue split is evenly divided between athletes and organizations at around 50%.
In comparison, the UFC’s revenue share for fighters is around 18-20%.
Is Dana White right, are boxers overpaid?