Dana White doesn’t see the UFC as a monopoly, it’s just the best game in town.
For years, fighters within the organization and those on the outside looking in have criticized White and Co. for creating what they believe is a monopoly in the world of mixed martial arts.
Dominating the global MMA scene for the last two decades, or at least since PRIDE FC collapsed, the UFC has grown exponentially on the back of fighters who have been subject to restrictive non-compete clauses and a ridiculously low revenue share when compared to that of other major sports leagues like the MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL.
White has routinely defended the subject of fighter pay on countless occasions, suggesting that anyone who doesn’t like it is welcome to start their own promotion. He offered a similar sentiment during a recent interview with FOX News, telling Brian Kilmeade that the UFC is not a monopoly and anyone is free to start their own company to try and take a piece of the MMA pie.
“People have called us a monopoly and all this stuff for years,” White said. “We’re just the best. We’re the best at what we do. There’s no barrier to entry. Anybody can get into this. You could start a league tomorrow and pay the guys whatever you want.
“A lot of smart, talented, big business moguls have gotten into this sport and tried to compete with me and they couldn’t do it. You have to have that competitive spirit. You have to want to compete.”
Former UFC fighter calls the promotion’s $335 million class-action settlement a ‘huge win’
Earlier this year, TKO Group, the promotion’s parent company, settled a courtroom conflict originating from five interconnected class-action lawsuits by paying out a whopping $335 million to former fighters including Cung Le, Nate Quarry, Jon Fitch, and more than 1,200 others who claimed that the promotion violated antitrust laws intended to promote competition and avoid monopolies.
The group argued that the UFC had used “improper strategies to dominate the market for MMA fighter services” which led to a decrease in fighter pay. If found guilty, the UFC could have been on the hook for anywhere from $800 million to $1.6 billion. Instead, the promotion settled for less than half of the lowest asking price.
Former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub called the settlement a big win for the promotion and placed much of the blame on the fighters for failing to change anything in the industry.
“UFC settled the antitrust lawsuit. HUGE win for the UFC. Bad for every other organization for so many reasons,” Schaub wrote. “UFC remains the king. Until the fighters unionize like MLB, NBA, and NFL nothing will ever change. You can be mad at @danawhite all you want but it’s not his fault or job.
“His Job is to build the UFC as big as possible and make the most profit. Period. Which he’s doing at a historic level. This unfortunately is on the fighters.”