Dana White dishes on recent negotiation issues with UFC fighters - ‘When these guys hear some of these boxing numbers’
Dana White weighed in on the recent negotiation issues he's having with UFC fighters and made reference to the reported fight purses that some of the top boxers in the world earn.
During his appearance on episode #205 of Bussin' With The Boys podcast, White revealed that some fighters bring up the pay discrepancy between boxers and MMA fighters. He mentioned that although some boxers earn a lot more, the pay scale isn't structured evenly like that of the UFC.
He said:
"Yeah, there's fu****g like a handful of guys in boxing that make sh**loads of money. The rest of the guys make nothing and that's not the case...we've got 800 guys under contract. If you're a low-level guy coming in, you work your way up. These kids are all making really good money." [45:28 - 45:42]
The UFC President also brought up that some boxers that are currently involved in ongoing lawsuits because they weren't paid for their bouts. He mentioned that boxers like Deonatay Wilder, whose enormous fight purses are typically referenced in negotiations, are usually involved in these lawsuits, saying:
"It's more about when these guys hear some of these boxing numbers. First of all, most of these boxing guys that you hear make all this fu****g money, they're all in lawsuits. Mike Tyson's in a lawsuit right now for a fight that he didn't get paid for. I'm hearing [Deontay] Wilder is probably about to be in a lawsuit here...yeah, these guys all get in lawsuits cause they never get paid." [46:03 - 46:23]
White has stated in the past that the reason that the fighters' purse is distrubuted through the commission rather than their management is to ensure that they get paid in full and are not taken advantage of or blindsided like so many boxers have in the past.
Check out the full interview:
Dana White gives UFC fighters extra bonuses
Dana White: Everybody on the card makes more money than they were actually contracted to make. That's a fact.
https://t.co/X17HUzF8e5
Dana White has been adamant that his business model and pay structure works for the UFC and that those that are complaining should start their own MMA promotion if they don't agree.
During the affromentioned interview, the UFC President noted that he compensates fighters well and even offers extra bonuses. He mentioned that fighters who don't receive a bonus still end up earning more money, saying:
"I would call it incentives and bonuses because se do these post-fight bonuses. If you're fight was unf****ngbelievable and you blew us away, you know, there's usually four guys on the card that make $50,000 more and the rest of the card, we throw them some more money too."
Although the exact fight purses aren't made public, White has handed out post-fight bonuses for years for Knockout of the Night, Submission of the Night, Performance of the Night, and Fight of the Night, alongside mentioning that he'll offer other bonuses behind closed doors.