Published 02/07/2023, 3:30 PM EST
UFC fighters being underpaid is a murmur that has been going around for a while. While some fighters have opened up about it, fans have also targeted Dana White for not paying his fighters enough. While most sports like NBA, NFL, etc. spend 50% of their total revenue to pay fighters, UFC pays only 15-20% of its revenue. This has troubled athletes and fans and the demands for better pay have increased in the recent past. UFC’s star middleweight has now shared a meme. The meme has a funny take on UFC fighters being paid low.
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Middleweight #6 Paulo Costa has shared a meme on his Twitter account. The post has gathered more than 450k views in very little time. It features fighters like Francis Ngannou, Jon Jones, and Paul Costa himself. ‘Borrachinha’ has thus entered the list of fighters who are demanding better pay in the UFC.
The UFC pay controversy
The UFC president Dana White is credited for bringing MMA to the level that it is today. UFC has emerged as the biggest MMA promotion in the past two decades and White can take credit for the achievement. There is one area that seems not so smooth for White and that is the fighter’s pay. Fans often compare UFC pay with boxing pay bands. UFC comes out on the shorter side and that too by a big margin in such comparisons.
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Experts have been talking about the UFC pay controversy and Dana White has been facing the heat. Despite crediting him for the promotion’s success, experts have taken shots at him for the pay structure. Francis Ngannou‘s exit has also fanned the fire. His latest venture, the Power Slap league, had also come under criticism for fighter pay issues.
LAS VEGAS, NV – AUGUST 23: UFC President Dana White attends a news conference for the bout between boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor at the KA Theatre at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino on August 23, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mayweather and McGregor will meet in a super welterweight boxing match at T-Mobile Arena on August 26 in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
If the criticism from fans and experts and the growing demands from fighters will lead to a raise in fighter purses remains to be seen. Dana White has not answered many questions on the topic from the media and doesn’t appear to be too worried about the buzz. What’s your take on the fighter’s pay in the UFC? Let us know.
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