"12k is a joke" - Fans slam "modern day slave owner" Dana White after UFC San Diego fight purses revealed

(L-R) Dana White, 'Chito' Vera, Dominick Cruz [Image via @ufc on Instagram]

The UFC and its president Dana White have faced a lot of criticism regarding fighter pay over many months. It is harder for fans to provide an accurate assessment because most state athletic commissions do not disclose fighter purses. However, the state of California does.

Following the latest UFC Fight Night event in San Diego, the California State Athletic Commission made the payouts for the event public. The card featured seven fights in the prelims and six fights on the main card, headlined by a bantamweight bout between Dominick Cruz and Marlon 'Chito' Vera. The Ecuadorian made $300k ($150k to show and $150k to win) while the former champion earned $175k.

See more payouts below:

An update on one fighter
Gerald Meerschaert was: $146K ($73K Show/$73K Win) https://t.co/CcSX2SYBiu

Azamat Murzakanov and debutant Iasmin Lucindo were the only two fighters on the card who competed for a maximum of $24k ($12k to win and $12k to show). Murzakanov won his fight, but Lucindo lost hers, walking away with just $12k in hand. Following the release of this information by the state athletic commission, fans wasted no time expressing their displeasure with the promotion.

One fan even went as far as to call Dana White an enslaver:

"You must be proud @danawhite, modern day slave owner."

@MMAFighting @shaunalshatti You must be proud @danawhite, modern day slave owner. https://t.co/nLQ5rhQqfR

A user on Instagram said $12k was akin to a joke:

@feeerlunaaa's comment on Instagram [via @bestcasualmma]

Another claimed that all fighters deserved 2.5x more:

@MMAFighting @shaunalshatti Everyone on the card deserves 2.5x their current payout

A fan pointed out an interesting fact pertaining to Russian fighter Azamat Murzakanov. The Russian light heavyweight beat Matheus Scheffel on Dana White's Contender Series to earn a UFC contract and made just $24k in his second fight with the promotion. On the other hand, Scheffel is about to fight for the million-dollar prize in the PFL finals.

@jedigoodman Murzakanov makes 24k while the guy he beat on contender series, Matheus Scheffel, punched his ticket tonight to fight for $1 million in the PFL finals

Yet another fan opined that $25k should be the minimum wage for fighters in the UFC.

@jedigoodman 25k should be the minimum.

See some more comments from users on Instagram below:

Compilation of comments from @bestcasualmma on Instagram

Jake Paul slammed Dana White's recent comments regarding fighter pay

The UFC president recently appeared in a fun video for GQ where he answered questions from fans on the internet. One was about fighter pay, and White said that fighters make what they're supposed to. He also stated that a pay raise was "never going to happen" during his time.

Jake Paul had a few things to say about the same. 'The Problem Child' has been feuding with Dana White for some time now over fighter payouts. Following White's latest comments, Paul took to Twitter to express his thoughts, saying:

"No major sports organization pays its athletes as poorly as Dana White & UFC. If u don’t see that then you are one of Dana’s sheeps. They keep talking about selling out 21 events in a row but never talking about raising fighter pay, giving them healthcare & fair revenue split."

No major sports organization pays its athletes as poorly as Dana White & UFC. If u don’t see that then you are one of Dana’s sheeps.

They keep talking about selling out 21 events in a row but never talking about raising fighter pay, giving them healthcare & fair revenue split. twitter.com/grosenstein/st…

A few hours later, Paul tweeted again, lashing out at White's stronghold on his athletes:

"If my boss told me I am never getting a raise I would quit and go somewhere that actually values me. Right? But what if ur boss, who has made hundreds of millions from ur hard work told u he’s not increasing ur minimum pay and you’re not able to quit?"

If my boss told me I am never getting a raise I would quit and go somewhere that actually values me. Right?

But what if ur boss, who has made hundreds of millions from ur hard work told u he’s not increasing ur minimum pay and you’re not able to quit? espn.com/mma/story/_/id…