Despite his assurances, the fighter pay issue continues to follow Dana White to the extent that he’s now forced to acknowledge that it will increase. In recent days, the matter intensified, especially after Conor Benn joined Zuffa Boxing last month. The welterweight contender reportedly received a $15 million offer to leave long-time promoter Eddie Hearn and join White’s stable. As the UFC moves into a new partnership under the Paramount deal, the development reportedly unsettled several UFC fighters, particularly with questions around their own payouts still remaining unresolved. That simmering tension surfaced at the post-fight presser of Zuffa Boxing 04 when a reporter mentioned Conor Benn. Pressed on the issue, White assured that changes would take place soon.

“Well, listen everybody, why is it a bad thing when guys make more money?” the UFC boss said. “You know what I mean? It’s never a bad thing when guys make more money. It’s always a good thing when there’s more money in the sport. And since 2001, fighter pay has gone like this non-stop. Obviously, we just got, you know, a great television rights deal. I promise you that fighter pay is going to be just fine over the next seven years.”

A few days earlier, former BMF champion Max Holloway said UFC fighters should stay united on fight payouts. Sean O’Malley voiced similar concerns. Reacting to Benn’s Zuffa deal, former middleweight title holder Israel Adesanya added that he wouldn’t mind a similar offer himself – $15 million for one fight.

“These guys are top-class boxers. They’re the best in the world at what they do. But so are we,” the MMA star said on his YouTube channel. “This is the UFC. And if one guy can command that kind of money for one fight, and that’s from the same company, Zuffa, this is what’s been keeping the lights on: the UFC. We love Ultimate Fighting, not limited fighting. I don’t feel jaded, but I’m like, f– it, I want 15 million for one fight too.”

In January, as the UFC prepared to stage the kickoff event under Paramount+, Dana White was caught off guard when asked about potential bonuses fighters could expect at UFC 324. Looking toward his team backstage, White admitted he didn’t have any figures to provide.

Ahead of the event, White’s now-bitter rival Eddie Hearn warned the situation could spark backlash within the UFC roster.

Debate over fighter pay turns toward Dana White and the UFC

“I think there’ll be a revolt from the UFC fighters, to be honest,” Eddie Hearn said when Jai Opetaia left Matchroom Boxing to join Zuffa. “Because I think they’ll be thinking, ‘Why are we making so much less than the boxers when the show and the business and and and the revenue are so much higher?'”

Much of the concern stemmed from earlier reports, when details about Zuffa’s fighter payout emerged, it caused concern. Under the structured pay scale with a set maximum payout, White’s team reportedly planned for lower-ranked fighters to earn around $10,000, while contenders and champions would make significantly more, with title defenders earning up to $750,000.

As speculations around Conor Benn’s deal intensified, White and TKO presented their side of the story.

“Well, first off, I would say this story, to your point, has taken on a life of its own,” Mark Shapiro said on a quarterly financial call. “That’s largely because Eddie Hearn is stirring the pot in a very fictional way. So, as you know, our partner in Zuffa Boxing is SELA. They’re the financial backer of the entity… We at TKO, with SELA, collectively identified Conor Benn as someone we wanted to sign for one of those superfights in 2026. That’s it, one fight in 2026.”

Yet given that the UFC settled a $375 million civil lawsuit last year, the debate over fighter pay and the gap between what MMA fighters earn compared to boxers may continue to draw scrutiny.