With a year-opening win in hand, Justin Gaethje is eyeing retirement by next year. That could explain why, just before another interim lightweight title shot against Paddy Pimblett at T-Mobile Arena, “The Highlight” sounded off publicly. Concerns over a payout many expect to rise as the UFC enters a new Paramount+ deal tied to UFC 324 spilled out when Gaethje said, “I’m not getting paid one dollar more than if this deal hadn’t happened.”

Dana White appeared to respond to Gaethje’s remarks, saying fighters could expect higher pay as the UFC moves into its next business phase. But it seems Gaethje’s words have already caused ripples. They reached boxing circles, where one of White’s sharpest critics, Eddie Hearn, quickly latched onto the development. Connecting the dots after White wrapped up Zuffa Boxing 1 at the UFC Apex, Hearn raised the possibility that the UFC boss could soon face backlash in MMA.

Eddie Hearn predicts a UFC payback problem for Dana White

Hearn’s comments came shortly after White scored a win over him when Matchroom cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia joined the Zuffa stable. Speaking with iFL TV, he said he isn’t overly worried about fighters jumping to White’s new boxing promotion. Still, White and his team’s stance about not working with other sanctioning bodies led Hearn to question how Zuffa will ultimately play out.

He made it clear that, unlike many longtime figures in boxing, he is not openly critical of Dana White and TKO’s move into the sport. What intrigues him, however, is how fighter-pay issues could eventually turn the spotlight back on White and the UFC. “I think one of the really interesting things when I look at the business is going to be how the UFC talent roster reacts to the amount of money that these guys are paying fighters,” Hearn said.

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To illustrate his point, Hearn cited the upcoming headliner between Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje. “Paramount is paying huge license fees. Yet Paddy and Justin are making considerably less than a fighter that is nowhere near the draw or bringing nowhere near the commercial revenue that they are,” Hearn added.

To Hearn, that could become a problem. Consider the UFC’s reported $7.7 billion Paramount deal: MMA fighters would naturally expect higher paydays. But if they compare those figures with Zuffa, also part of TKO, paying boxers significantly more, it could spark unrest.

For context, the UFC has already faced similar scrutiny after settling an antitrust lawsuit with a group of fighters last year for $375 million.

Zuffa bonuses could compound Dana White’s headaches

In contrast to Hearn’s concerns, White has said fighters could see higher earnings in the new year. He reportedly claimed the UFC believes it can precisely calculate fighter pay under the new model so payouts closely match what fighters would have made on a pay-per-view event. Veterans such as Daniel Cormier appear to have echoed White’s stance.

Yet fighters like Justin Gaethje remain unconvinced. At media day, he said, “Oh, man, to have 14 bonuses and not have it equal up to $1 million, it’s not right. It should be a lot more than that. I should’ve had opportunities to do smarter things with my money, but I haven’t. To this day, I hear Daniel Cormier saying everybody is going to get paid more on this card. I’m not getting paid one dollar more than if this deal hadn’t happened.

Confusion surfaced at the final UFC 324 press conference when White appeared uncertain about the Fight of the Night bonuses.

In contrast – fueling Hearn’s concerns – White laid out the bonus structure at Zuffa Boxing 1.  “The fight of the night tonight again, no shocker, was (Cain) Sandoval and (Julian) Rodriguez. They won $50,000. The performance of the night went to Rodriguez, who won $100,000, and then Meriwether. He won 50. Congrats to them.”

With the UFC’s first event of the year just a day away, that contrast could draw scrutiny. Fans and analysts will look to White’s post-fight comments for details on how UFC awards bonuses.