The UFC’s massive $7.7 billion deal with Paramount has ushered in a new era, but the main debate isn’t about broadcasting. Fans and fighters alike are wondering what happens to fighter pay. After years of criticism over how much the promotion pays its athletes, Dana White finally broke his silence on 60 Minutes, promising changes but keeping the specifics deliberately vague.
The Paramount deal marks the UFC’s transition away from its long-standing pay-per-view model and toward a subscription-based future beginning in 2026. While this is wonderful news for fans tired of high PPV fees, it has caused concern among fighters who fear losing valuable “pay-per-view points.”
In White’s view, though, the tradeoff will work in their favor. “I can’t sit here right now and tell you, you know, it’s double, it’s one and a half, it’s triple,” White said in a recent interview with 60 Minutes. “But fighter pay, it’s gonna be good.” When asked whether fighters are already fairly compensated, White did not flinch.
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“Absolutely. People don’t know how much a lot of these guys make,” he said. However, this answer surely failed to convince many, including the interviewer, who responded with a scathing comparison. Unlike the NBA, why can’t the UFC be more open about its finances and pay? And to hit the nail on the head, NBA legend LeBron James was dragged into the mix.
It is a well-known fact by now that the NBA has been really open to sharing its numbers, allowing fans to see what their favorite players earn. So, using James’ pay as an example, the interviewer asked, “If you want to know what LeBron James makes, it’s two keystrokes away.” But Dana White, being Dana White, even managed to drop that bullet with the “We’re different” argument. So, is it really a convincing answer? Not exactly. The UFC CEO’s constant defense on the matter hasn’t silenced critics.
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UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre recently warned that the new system could strip fighters of leverage. Without pay-per-view revenue to bargain over, he believes fighters will be unable to negotiate a “partner-like” role with the company. “It could be good for the UFC as a promoter but terrible for the fighters,” GSP said.
“When I was competing, I could demand a piece of the pie. Without that, it might take away leverage for the big names to argue for more money.” So, while Dana White claims that fighter pay is likely to get “good,” the underlying debate remains unresolved. And while many may believe that simply revealing the figures could be a good option to settle things once and for all, it may make things complicated for his fighters, according to the UFC CEO.
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Dana White claims fighters want their pay hidden from the public eye
White’s response to pleas for more transparency was not only about the UFC’s image but also about the fighters themselves. According to him, the secrecy surrounding pay isn’t forced from the top but chosen by those cashing the checks. “There’s no gag order on any of these fighters,” White said, claiming that anyone could disclose their earnings if they chose to.
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However, few ever do, and the head honcho believes that silence speaks volumes. In his opinion, the problem is not low numbers but rather avoiding the spotlight that comes with high numbers. “When people find out what you made, it makes life a lot tougher,” White admitted. “There are a lot of people sitting around looking for handouts when they find out you made millions of dollars.”
Instead of hiding weak figures, the UFC boss said that fighters are protecting themselves from the fallout of huge ones. However, even that defense has not eliminated suspicions. Critics argue that the UFC pays fighters a considerably lesser share of money than other major sports. And, with the promotion coming off a nearly $8 billion deal, the optics of hidden salaries only add to the controversy. Unless a fighter chooses to break the silence, questions around what they really make will remain unanswered.