Dana White Explains Why Transparency On UFC Fighter Pay Would Make ‘Life a Lot Tougher’ For Their Athletes
Dana White thinks being transparent about fighter pay would make life a lot harder for the UFC’s athletes.
Fighter pay, or the lack thereof, has been a contentious issue in the world of mixed martial arts over the years, with much of the focus on the UFC’s laughable revenue share with its fighters and how it compares unfavorably to other professional sports leagues, such as the MLB, NHL, NBA, and NFL.
The UFC has been fairly secretive regarding what fighters make over the years, but according to White, that’s only because fighters “don’t want” fans to know “what they got paid.”
“There’s no gag order on any of these fighters,” White told Vegas PBS. “They could all sit down and do full interviews on how much they make and what they were paid. They don’t want to because they don’t want you to know what they got paid. When people find out what you made, it makes life a lot tougher. There are a lot of people sitting around looking for handouts when they find out you made millions of dollars.”
Could the UFC’s deal with Paramount negatively impact Fighters?
Fighter pay was once again the topic of conversation earlier this year when the promotion announced its massive $7.7 billion broadcasting deal with Paramount.
Come January 1, 2026, Paramount+ will be the exclusive home of all Ultimate Fighting Championship events, including pay-per-views, which will be included with the cost of a monthly subscription. While that is great news for fans tired of shelling out $80 per month for a PPV, many were left wondering how fighters would be impacted with pay-per-view points no longer being relevant.
White insists they’ll have something in place to make sure fighters are compensated, though details regarding that remain under wraps.
