Dana White and UFC Bite the Dust Again as Tyson Fury Dominates Forbes Top Earner List With $146M Feat

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)—and its president, Dana White—remain prominent names in the combat sports world. However, the organization continues to face criticism for allegedly underpaying its fighters. In contrast, boxers often secure significantly larger paydays than their UFC counterparts.

This long-standing pay disparity recently reignited debate on Reddit, particularly on r/boxingcirclejerk. The conversation was fueled by Sportico’s newly released list of the 20 highest-paid athletes of 2024. As expected, a couple of boxers featured on the list with staggering earnings, while UFC fighters were notably absent.

Who are the boxers among the 20 highest-paid athletes of 2024 besides Tyson Fury?

According to Sportico, former WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury ranked third on the list of the highest-paid athletes of 2024, boasting a staggering $147 million in total combined earnings. His rival, Oleksandr Usyk, followed closely in seventh place with $122 million. Meanwhile, Canelo Alvarez secured the 20th spot with $73 million in earnings for the year. While Canelo fought twice in 2024, Fury and Usyk faced each other in two blockbuster undisputed bouts, earning them massive paydays. These figures have reignited conversations about the disparity in fighter compensation, especially after the subreddit r/boxingcirclejerk spotlighted the Sportico list. The post included a biting caption, “How come I don’t see any MMA fighters on the list?” The tongue-in-cheek post sparked a viral debate among fans.

Critics argue that White failed to adequately address fighter pay during his tenure with the UFC—a criticism echoed by former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who famously left the promotion to pursue more lucrative opportunities in boxing. Fighters like Jake Paul and even several former UFC athletes have expressed similar concerns.

Now, with White planning to apply the same model to TKO’s boxing venture, skepticism is growing among fans and established boxing promoters alike. Regardless, since the Reddit post went viral, the comment section has transformed into a platform for mockery, with fans relentlessly calling out White and the UFC for their longstanding pay controversies.

Dana White asked to leave the UFC

Hundreds of comments poured in, as people shared their opinions on the matter. One user directly popped the question. “Where the UFC fighters at lol,” the user wrote. The highest purse ever paid to a UFC fighter is reportedly $6.29 million, awarded to heavyweight champion Jon Jones for his scheduled bout against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309.

The next user sarcastically pointed out where the UFC fighters actually are instead of the list. “Putting fries in bags, sadly. Dana needs to go,” the user commented. However, some ex-UFC fighters are doing well for themselves, like Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo, who have their own podcast.

Another user echoed a similar belief. “Working their second jobs,” the user wrote. Popularly, Stipe Miocic worked as a firefighter and paramedic in Ohio throughout his UFC career, even during his title reigns.

Someone else expressed their frustration by wondering where UFC fighters would rank, even calling them Dana White’s slaves. “Wonder what the first UFC fighter would be? Like rank them behind ALL sports, where does Dana’s first slave show up?” the user commented. But the worst part is that the UFC makes a significantly large portion of the revenue compared to what they pay the fighters.

While everyone else was criticizing Dana White, this user wondered about someone else. “Where’s Canelo?” the user asked. The undisputed super middleweight champion is ranked 20th in the list.

That said, fans aren’t happy about how the UFC fighters are compensated in the promotion. However, this isn’t anything new, and sadly, it’s unlikely the UFC will suddenly have a change of heart. What are your thoughts on the matter?