Calls Mount Against Dana White for Tipping “10% of What Undercard Fighter Makes” Despite Selfless Act

UFC and fighter pay have always been a contentious bunch, which has at times put Dana White under scrutiny for paying the fighters less than what they arguably deserve. You see, the UFC is a blooming business that has been printing money lately. According to reports, the TKO group raked in a massive revenue of $2.8 billion in 2024, with the latest Q4 alone bringing in $642.2 million. Let’s go back to 2012 when the company was still under the ownership of Lorenzo Fertitta. The then-UFC Chairman told ESPN.com the percentage of UFC revenue that went to fighters was “not far off what the other sports leagues pay as a percentage of revenue.”

Moreover, he even claimed that the split was similar to that of other US leagues like the NFL, NBA, and MLB, where athletes make nearly 50% of the total revenue. Reports were revealed as part of the UFC’s antitrust lawsuit (Le and Johnson vs. Zuffa), which ended with the UFC paying $375M to the fighters in 2025. Here, it was revealed that the UFC only pays about 18.6% of the revenue to its fighters. Mind you! This was nearly 4x less than what MLS paid its players.

Interestingly, the lawsuit also revealed around 7 years of data on how much of the company’s event revenues were paid to fighters each year as compensation. The results were remarkably unmoving for a promotion whose fighters are all independent contractors who don’t collectively bargain over revenue splits. The annual pay shares hovered around the range of 19-20%.

Moreover, testimonies from top fighters such as Alexandre Pantoja and Merab Dvalishvili about the need to go for other gigs like Uber Eats and construction work reflect the pay situation very well. Of course, this is a never-ending debate. But the UFC head honcho did manage to revive it all with a high-value tip for valet service. 

White is indeed an entity known for his generous tipping. There was a time (in 2014) when he tipped a whopping $15K to an aspiring photographer. When he visited the Empire Asian Restaurant & Lounge in Boston back in 2018, he tipped 250% of the bill received. Earlier in 2024, the UFC head honcho paid $2000 in tip for a bill of $300-400 at John’s of Bleecker Pizza, New York. This was indeed above a gratuity of 500%. And the staff was left in total awe. This time, he sent money flying towards the valet just to take care of the vehicle. 

In a video going viral on the internet, we can see White counting nine $100 bills as he questions, “Can we pay for cars to ‘em up here?” When he handed the cash to the valet, he was left flabbergasted. And that’s probably the only viable reaction after being treated to such high gratuity. The valet responded with, “You blessed all of us. Thank you so much. God bless, brother.” This video was also shared by the popular X account, @DovySimuMMA. The caption of the post read, “Dana White tipping valet $900 😮.”

And as soon as the post hit the social media platform, the fighting community began to take over the comments section. Let’s see what the fans had to say about the incident.  

Fans target Dana White for low fighter pay despite his generous act

Most of the fans pointed out that the amount Dana White tipped for valet service was almost one-tenth of what the undercard fighters receive for their fights. Usually, the fighters receive $12K to show up for their first fight in the UFC. One fan reflected on this and wrote, “That’s almost 10% of what a undercard fighter makes in the UFC.” However, the others claimed that White should focus more on paying his athletes more. One fan commented, “Tipping someone for moving cars instead of tipping his fighters putting their health on the line.” Another fan added, “Nice, now he should pay his fighters.”

Meanwhile, a few others believed that the UFC CEO did it all for the camera. One fan weighed in on this and wrote, “He saw cameras, he said that’s my time to show ppls that I’m greedy but sometimes (never before) I happen to be generous.” Nevertheless, it was a generous act, and no one could take it from him. A comment read, “Did it for the camera, but nice of him.”

But will he actually show the same level of generosity at the upcoming UFC 315? That’s what some fans wondered about. One fan commented, “I can’t wait for the fighters this weekend to beg for their bonuses!!!!” But it’s worth noting that White has often given hefty bonuses to fighters who succeeded in impressing him.

That’s where the locker room bonuses came in. A fan wrote, “He also gives locker room bonuses to fighters all the time, what a great guy. We are blessed to have him.” However, a few of the fans believed that tipping $900 instead of $1000 was a bit weird. One fan claimed, “Nice tip, but what a weird arbitrary number 😂 like what made him think $900 and not $1000?” Another fan added, “Couldn’t just give 1 more bill to make it $1000? Cheap bas—d.”

What do you think of the $900 tip? Do you think the UFC fighters can expect a similar treatment at the upcoming events? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.