Ben Askren’s Ailing Health Ammo For Bitter Old Rival to Pin Blame on Dana White over Fighter Pay

Ben Askren’s health battle has reignited criticism of Dana White over fighter pay disparity with the charge being led by Oscar De La Hoya

Ben Askren’s Ailing Health Ammo For Bitter Old Rival to Pin Blame on Dana White over Fighter Pay

Oscar De La Hoya rips Dana White over fighter pay issue, linking Ben Askren (Source: X)

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Oscar De La Hoya has never held back when criticizing Dana White, and his latest comments once again put the UFC president in the spotlight. While the boxing legend claims they weren’t always enemies, he continues to call out what he sees as a major problem in MMA: fighter pay. The Golden Boy Promotions head recently used former UFC fighter Ben Askren and his inability to pay for his surgery as a fresh example to highlight the ongoing disparity in pay between MMA athletes and boxers.

It’s an issue that has plagued the sport for years, and De La Hoya isn’t letting it go. Take Tyson Fury, for instance. The British boxing star earned over $50 million for a single fight during Riyadh Season, despite nearly being upset by a pro debutant in the form of Francis Ngannou. Meanwhile, Oleksandr Usyk recently made around $132 million in his undisputed heavyweight title bout against Daniel Dubois.

In comparison, MMA fighters often have to grind through years of competition to make a fraction of that. De La Hoya has repeatedly pointed this out to White, especially as UFC executives prepare to help promote the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford mega-fight, the first TKO Boxing event at Allegiant Stadium with Turki Alalshikh’s backing in September.

However, despite the blockbuster billing, early fight purses still raise eyebrows. Entry-level pros will reportedly earn just $20,000 to $50,000 unless ranked inside the top 4. Even then, the lower-ranked boxers won’t get the $125,000 six-fight UFC deal some MMA athletes receive. De La Hoya highlighted this issue in an interview with World Boxing News.

This new league TKO is planning to pay fighters whatever they want, [which] will likely be…[like] pennies on the dollar based on the existing UFC model, man! Fighters can’t, afford it…see the latest heartbreaking example is former UFC fighter Ben Askren, who needed a double lung transplant and couldn’t afford it. They don’t give a fu*k — about boxing, or fighters, or putting their lives on the line,

Oscar De La Hoya in an exclusive interview to World Boxing News

For those unfamiliar, former UFC fighter and ONE FC champion Ben Askren faced a life-threatening battle with pneumonia brought on by a severe staph infection. He was placed on a ventilator and ECMO for an extended period, eventually being removed from transplant donor lists due to complications. With no other choice, Askren had to fund his own treatment. Fortunately, after a long and difficult journey, he successfully underwent a double lung transplant.

According to UnitedHealthcare, such procedures typically cost between $300,000 and $400,000 out of pocket for those not fully covered by insurance. As the financial burden mounted, YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, who has long criticized UFC fighter pay and its fixed $50,000 post-fight bonuses, publicly urged Dana White to help cover Askren’s medical expenses. In a surprising twist, White actually did.

Dana White helped Ben Askren with his double-lung transplant surgery

Set to promote Canelo Alvarez’s blockbuster fight with Terence Crawford for his 4-fight Saudi GEA deal for the extended Riyadh Season/GEA boxing chief Turki Alalshikh, Dana White is now embroiled in it. He even kick-started fighter face-off duties and a pre-fight presser for it.

Dana White did help Ben Askren when he didn't make the donor list
Dana White did help Ben Askren when he didn’t make the donor list (Source: X)

After some listless events, the UFC head’s involvement, specifically after the success of UFC BJJ, is something to look forward to. But, the UFC-themed $5,000 signing bonus/$50,000 (Rank 5-10), $125,000 (3-4) tiers and championship payouts have been a thorn.

Some think his new league of boxers would go on stingy pay as low-order fighters. Consequently, the ailing Ben Askren is ammo for that given recent times. But the truth of the matter is, White did help ‘Funky’ with medical expenses, and he wasn’t the only one.

White hinting, post-fight at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Teixeira in Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN, that he helped went quite viral. As a result, despite a highly publicized pink slip, ex-UFC flyweight Muhammad Mokaev mentioned that the former boss also helped him during his car crash.

Over the years, Cain Velasquez, Jon Jones, Rampage Jackson, King Green, Sean O’Malley, and several others have mentioned pivotal backing from White and UFC. After his recent hospitalization, Askren found himself with the help of his ex-boss as well.

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