Before he became a double champ and eventually a commentator for the UFC, Daniel Cormier was making waves in Strikeforce. With an 8-0 record in the promotion, the Louisiana native made his move to Dana White’s promotion in 2013. But once he got there, he quickly learned that negotiation with the UFC boss wasn’t for the faint of heart!

Fighter pay in the UFC has been a point of contention for a while now. From undercard warriors scraping by to stars demanding a higher purse, everyone felt the pinch. And now, Daniel Cormier has revealed that even he had to battle for his slice of the pie. So, what happened?

Daniel Cormier reveals the ‘argument’ he had with Dana White before his UFC debut

The conversation kicked off on the latest episode of the ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy’ show on YouTube. Chael Sonnen, one half of the show, fired off by stating, “That’s the one piece these guys haven’t had to deal with yet. They have not had to deal with an angry Dana White. I don’t know if you have, Daniel, I have only once; it’s not the same guy, and it’s not a guy that you want to say no to. I’ll leave it at that.”

Then came the million-dollar question: “Did you have to deal with it? Did Dana go sideways on you once?” Daniel Cormier didn’t flinch as he opened up on what the negotiations looked like for his UFC debut. He shared, “Well, not bad, it was just when I first got there…”

As mentioned before, Cormier was 8-0 in Strikeforce before he made the move to the Octagon, and like any top-tier athlete, he knew his value. But when it came time to negotiate his purse for the fight, Cormier revealed, “I wanted more money. And we had a little… we started arguing, and I told him that, and… he texted me after. He goes, ‘We didn’t fight,’ I was like, ‘Oh yes, we did.’ He just kind of forgot about it because I wanted more money, wasn’t much, I wanted a 100 grand instead of 80.”

The story may sound minor. Twenty grand? It’s pocket change in the world of billion-dollar deals. But it speaks volumes. Because if Daniel Cormier, a future ‘champ-champ’ and a Hall of Famer, had to fight for an extra $20,000, what does that mean for the rest of the roster?

Fighter pay has long been a dark cloud over the UFC’s success. While the company boasts multi-billion-dollar valuations and global reach, many of its athletes scrape by. Reports indicate that UFC fighters take home just 16–20% of total revenue, far below other major sports like the NFL or NBA, where athletes get close to 50%.

And let’s not forget the risks. MMA fighters face short careers, brutal injuries, and unpredictable outcomes. Many fighters on the prelims earn $12K to show, and maybe $12K more to win. That barely covers training, coaches, and medical bills. But even though Dana White and the promotion have come under fire for a lack of financial support for its athletes, there’s a side of the UFC boss that often goes unnoticed.

UFC featherweight sheds light on Dana White’s rarely talked about generosity

Although it’s easy to paint Dana White as the cold businessman, known for his tough negotiations and angry tirades. But according to Nathaniel Wood, there’s another version of him that steps in when a fighter is down and out.

In a statement earlier this year, Wood had confessed that he had hit rock bottom after a narrow loss to Casey Kenny in 2020. Then came the injuries, delays, and a nearly two-year absence from the Octagon. His return was set for UFC London in 2022, but the dream quickly crumbled. Why? Because both his original opponent and the replacement pulled out.

In the video shared by ‘Fight Front’ on YouTube, Woods revealed, “The UFC said, ‘Obviously, you’re not going to be fighting,’ and I was told that I would get some compensation money. Now, as you can imagine, I wasn’t waiting on compensation money; I was getting $26,000 to fight and $26,000 to win – and at the time, I was minus £2000 [in debt].”

Still, he approached White backstage during ceremonial weigh-ins and laid out his situation in front of the UFC boss. White’s response? Wood further shared, “And he said, ‘Don’t worry buddy, I’ll pay you everything’ – so not only did he pay me for my fight purse, but he also paid me the win bonus as well…”

“The guy who everyone gives stick [to] paid me when he didn’t have to,” Wood recalled.

It’s a paradox, isn’t it? Fighter pay remains one of the UFC’s biggest controversies. Stories like Daniel Cormier’s show just how uphill the battle for fair compensation can be, even at the highest level. But then you hear about Wood’s experience, and suddenly, the cold executive mask Dana White wears doesn’t seem so rigid after all.

Maybe that’s the truth of it, that Dana White plays both roles. The ruthless negotiator and, sometimes, the unexpected savior. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!