5 times Dana White shut down questions about UFC fighter pay
Dana White first became involved in the UFC as the manager of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He soon found out that the company was facing financial troubles. He decided to contact childhood friend Lorenzo Fertitta about buying the promotion.
In 2001, the Fertitta brothers acquired the UFC for $2million. Dana White was appointed president. In 2016 the parent company Zuffa sold the UFC to Endeavor, but White retained his position.
Since being sold, the UFC has grown into a multi-billion dollar company. However, as early as 2013, fighters started to voice issues with pay. The issue has snowballed in recent years, with multiple fighters speaking out. Big names like Jon Jones, Jorge Masvidal, Francis Ngannou, and others have voiced their displeasure.
Most of the time, athletes signing up to play for a team or company do so on a contractual basis. While players in the NBA, NFL, and others have unionized, no such union exists in MMA. White has always had a set response when faced with the question of fighter pay.
Here are five times Dana White shut down questions about paying UFC fighters less.
#5. A 2013 interview: Are UFC fighters underpaid?
The argument over fighters getting paid has intensified in the past couple of years. However, it has been gathering steam for a long time. Dana White's 2013 interview with Graham Bensinger is a good example.
In the interview, Bensinger asked White if UFC athletes were getting paid enough. Tito Ortiz has said he didn't get what he thought he deserved. Ortiz also alleged the UFC made millions with his fights.
White countered by saying that 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' got his numbers wrong. He also said that the promotion has to bear all the costs when they put on a show. Thus the revenue generated is much less than what some might think:
"We do all the production ourselves, and the list goes on and on and on, of all the costs that are involved in putting on a show.''
Shutting down such questions is something that White has done repeatedly over the years.