Oddly, this isn’t new to many who follow closely. However, to those who begin following as the sport has grown rapidly popular this may come as surprising news. UFC’s owner Dana White refuses to raise the fighter’s pay, reported The Score. It’s been an onslaught of fans, former fighters, and financial professionals debating this concept for years. White appears to be firm in his stance on not exceeding the payment threshold on his fighters. This is concerning because the future of the UFC can be possibly at stake. Many believe a good amount of pro fighters will possibly go on a strike and crumple the business from within. One has yet to see how realistic this is because of the repercussions it can put on many of the fighter’s livelihoods.
“It’s never gonna happen while I’m here,” stated White. “Trust me, these guys are fairly compensated. They earn based on their performance. They receive a percentage of the pay-per-view revenue, which is distributed among all the fighters.”
Dana White says as long as he's in charge, the UFC won't raise fighter pay. 😬 pic.twitter.com/q3kOCPwRud
— theScore (@theScore) August 12, 2022
What Does the Future of UFC Look Like Now?
The UFC can look a lot different within years’ time with the latest bomb dropping from the owner. Unfortunately, without any true rivaling companies to combat White’s stance, it’s almost as if they have a monopoly on the fighters. However, this may cause one of the top guys to possibly step up and give fighters another platform to compete at. The upside to striking for most of the fighters is that they will starve the UFC out and ultimately force them to pay the fighters more. Overall, without the talent, there is no entertainment so while their platform has risen the fighters are the reason why not the other way around.
“I want to create a fighters union,” Paul said on ESPN’s First Take. “My goal is to make a lasting impact on both MMA and boxing. Unlike many UFC fighters who are bound to Dana White and can’t speak up, I have the freedom to use my platform. I will always speak the truth and fulfill my responsibility as a fighter who cares about others.”
On the downside, many of these fighters in the meantime may not have any other way to provide for themselves or their families. There are only two ways this can play out; the UFC can be crippled internally or nothing will transpire at all. There may be resentment between the owner and the entertainment. However, it appears one stance is cemented and the others have decisions to make!
