Dana White runs a multi-billion-dollar promotion, but when it comes to paying UFC fighters, Jake Paul called him a “greedy b–ch” and the “most capitalistic motherf—-r.” From time to time, Paul has urged White to increase fighters’ show money, guarantee them a share of annual revenue under his promotion, and provide long-term healthcare—areas where the UFC has long faced criticism, as Francis Ngannou previously highlighted.

Historically, the UFC has faced accusations of favoring only a handful of superstar fighters while leaving most others with minimal support. Recently, reports suggested that the promotion withheld fighters’ Fight of the Night bonuses at several events this month, drawing criticism from the MMA community. Even now, although the UFC announced the Fight of the Month, critics argue that concerns about fighter compensation remain unresolved.

Senior journalists weigh in after UFC Fight of the Month gets “zero” bonuses

Dana White & Co. recently shared an infographic on social media naming the Wallmaker vs. Ewing fight at UFC 322 as the “Fight of the Month.” Unsurprisingly, the announcement shocked the industry, as none of the last five UFC Fight Night events this month awarded a Fight of the Night bonus. Senior journalist Adam Martin expressed his surprise on X after reposting the UFC’s official post.

“At first I was like ‘huh, that’s odd, a fight that didn’t win FOTN won FOTM,’” wrote Adam Martin. “Then I looked back, and there were literally zero FOTN bonuses given out for all five cards this month. Just 20 POTN bonuses. That probably has never happened before.”

Back in November, the UFC ran four major fight cards, including three Fight Nights and one historic event at Madison Square Garden with UFC 322. Despite several notable performances, the promotion did not award any Fight of the Night bonuses.

Meanwhile, Australian MMA insider Benny P also reacted on X after reposting the UFC’s post, urging Dana White & Co. to properly compensate the fighters.

“If you win fight of the month,” wrote Benny P, “they should give out a 100k bonus to both guys makes up for them not getting a fight of the night bonus.”

Recently, at UFC Vegas 111, Chris Padilla delivered a knockout performance, yet the promotion did not award him the expected $50,000 performance bonus, highlighting the selective and inconsistent way Dana White & Co. distribute fighter bonuses.

The UFC clearly has no shortage of money, especially with its $7.7 billion deal with Paramount+ set to begin in early 2026. However, this deal will also mark the end of Dana White & Co.’s traditional pay-per-view system, which removes fighters’ ability to earn points-based money from pay-per-view sales.

Adam Martin expects UFC to raise bonuses with Paramount broadcast deal

To encourage fighters to deliver standout performances, Dana White and the UFC introduced Fight of the Night bonuses back in 2006. Then, in 2014, the promotion merged their existing awards, including “Knockout of the Night” and “Submission of the Night,” into a single Performance of the Night bonus. This change lets the UFC reward any exceptional individual performance, not just knockouts or submissions.

While the Fight of the Night bonus goes to both participants, the promotion awards the Performance of the Night bonus to the two fighters judged to have delivered the most impressive individual performances that evening. Since then, the bonus has remained at $50,000. In his latest post on X, Adam Martin shared his expectations for an increase.

“Still waiting to hear what the UFC’s plan for the bonuses is in 2026,” Martin wrote. “Dana White said the fighters would get more money, but so far, no plans have been announced. Keep in mind the $50,000 standard has been in place for more than a decade. The fighters definitely deserve more bonuses.”

Now, as the promotion prepares to launch its seven-year partnership with Paramount, fans will be watching closely to see whether the UFC increases fighter bonuses across the roster. So stay tuned.