“They have deals,” Dana White BUMMED by the concern about if fighters were paid for last-minute opponent changes at UFC 279
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Dana White- UFC 279
Dana White is usually quite open to all the questions, but he chooses which ones he would answer candidly and which he would let them slide away with his cold responses. White is the President of the UFC since 2001 and has therefore been in the business for more than 2 decades where he made one heck of an amazing life for himself promoting MMA fights, making a $500 million personal empire and meeting combat sports legends and celebrities across the globe.
But it has been questioned time and again whether his primary employees, the fighters are living their life to the same degree of amazement as White while fighting for the world’s biggest MMA promotion. The fighter pay issues have been creeping the company with bad honour for the last decade ever and there was once a time when a Fighters’ Association was on the cusp of being established.
The infamous Reebok deal boosted the UFC’s reputation to a downward spiral and while the company today is evaluated at around $10 billion, the fighters are keeping up with their voices against the money they make for putting their lives at risk.
Dana White gives a cold response to the reporter’s question about paying extra to the main-card fighters
In the post-event media scrum for UFC 279, Dana White talked about Khamzat Chimaev’s weight issues, the contentious decision win handed over to Daniel Rodriguez over Li Jingliang, taking care of Chris Barnett after the spectacular performance, Johnny Walker being exited from the T-Mobile Arena, reacting to the main event and much more. In the midst of all, White was asked who got the biggest increment out of all for accepting a last-minute opponent change.
“Well these guys all have deals,” says White. After whispering a rather “No” as the answer to if the money changed for the fighters for accepting last-minute opponent changes, White continued by concluding “Everybody has a deal.”
What do you make of White‘s reaction to fighters’ pay increment for them to accept a new opponent on a day’s notice? Do you think the fighter pay issue in the UFC exists only because of White? Do you think the UFC is paying its fighters lower than what fighters at other promotions like Bellator MMA and ONE Championship make? Where do you put UFC among the biggest sports association in history and where does the fighter pay gap rank amongst the most contentious issues in sports history?
Also Read: From 209 to 2:09: Nate Diaz and his unlikely journey to being a rowdy MMA Legend
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Abhai Singh Tanwar
(1386 Articles Published)