Sporting leagues like the NFL, the NBA, and even the MLB always provide financial details about the players in the public domain. However, that does not seem to be the case in the UFC. Although boxing does tend to be inconsistent in revealing fight purses, Dana White & Co. have never gone public about fighters’ payouts. But why? Well, veteran journalist Ariel Helwani seems to have an answer for it.

The secrecy surrounding fighter pay has been longstanding in the world’s biggest MMA promotion. Ariel Helwani claims to have reached out to certain people working in the UFC, but they never spill the beans when asked about this matter. But Helwani claims to have come across certain reports that reveal that Dana White and the other UFC execs claim that the secrecy is, surprisingly, a protective measure. “I have seen some reports saying that the UFC backed the notion of not releasing fighter pay. Are they trying to protect the fighters? Are they trying to protect themselves? Who knows?” Ariel Helwani stated on his YouTube channel.

Well, people do not like to talk about how much money they make, which is understandable to a certain degree. But given that MMA is a professional sport, Helwani believes that it is important for the UFC to release financial details to estimate the proper value of the athletes. “I understand, to a degree, you could say it’s none of our business. But in the rest of sports, you know. And that’s how you kind of decide [the] market value,” there veteran journalist further stated. “That seems like a very noble stance.”

But then, Ariel Helwani also expressed doubts about the UFC’s policy of being tight-lipped about fight purses. He believes that Dana White and Co. refrain from bringing these details up to avoid having to negotiate with the fighters on the roster. “I think you could come up with a hypothesis that perhaps there’s other reasons why you don’t want it to come out, because you don’t want fighters to know how much their counterparts are making, so that they can compare and contrast and then say, ‘Hey, if he’s making that much, I wanna know why I’m making this much,'” Helwani added.

Well, Dana White has shown time and again that he doesn’t really like fighters having leverage over the UFC. So, Helwani’s statements could be true, although we can’t be too certain. But on the other hand, the CEO recently claimed that most fighters don’t talk about how much they make for a reason that has nothing to do with his promotion.

Dana White reveals why UFC fighters don’t talk about their fight purses

Whenever somebody asks Dana White about the fighter pay issue, he simply states that fighters can leave the promotion if they don’t like the way the UFC handles its business. Recently, he claimed that fighters do not like people asking them for money, especially “handouts.” And that is the primary reason why most fighters on the roster prefer to keep their financial details a secret.

“There’s no gag order on any of these fighters. They could all sit down and do full interviews on how much they make and what they were paid,” Dana White told Vegas PBS during an interview. “When people find out what you made, it makes life a lot tougher. There are a lot of people sitting around looking for handouts when they find out you made millions of dollars.”

Well, Dana White’s claims could be up for debate, but one thing is for sure: the ongoing veil over the fighter pay issue is not going to fade away anytime soon. The CEO has promised that the new TV deal with Paramount+ will help fighters earn more. Regardless, what do you think about Ariel Helwani’s comments on the secrecy that the UFC maintains about the financial details? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.