Former UFC heavyweight Travis Browne has some strong words for all the “whiners” who are constantly complaining about fighter pay.
UFC’s fighter pay has been an issue in the UFC for years. Yet, paradoxically, as the company continues to rake in more revenue, the spotlight on the salaries of its fighters seems to grow every year. This year, perhaps more than any other, has had fighters speaking up on the issue, including names like Jon Jones, Francis Ngannou, and arguably the most vocal figure in recent months: boxing newcomer Jake Paul.
The subject has also been a hot topic for the MMA media and its journalists, many of whom have regularly advocated on behalf of fighters earning a higher salary considering all the risks they take and the expenses involved before and after entering the Octagon.
For seven years, Travis Browne was among those fighters. Browne compiled a record of 8-7 in the UFC before retiring in 2017. Since then, he has married one of the biggest superstars in MMA history, Ronda Rousey, and has begun exploring new professional ventures. One of those ventures is the podcast Tough Business, co-hosted with John Fosco.
UFC President Dana White appeared on a recent installment of the podcast, and Browne took this as an opportunity to opine on the subject of fighter pay (h/t Bloody Elbow).
“You guys always paid me what you said you were gonna pay me, and most of the time, it was actually more,” Browne began. “So, all these people that are complaining about it, that are just talking shit about it, at the end of the day, I’m the one that signed that f—ng contract. And then I’m gonna turn around and bitch about it? Or i’mma bitch about it to a f—ng reporter or something like that?
“That doesn’t make sense to me as a man. I signed a contract. If I wanted to get paid more, and you guys have always been upfront about it. ‘Hey, if you’re a free agent, go find a better deal.’ I’ve always felt like I was part of the UFC. When one of my contracts was up, we had a bigger offer, but I was, like, ‘Listen, the best fighters are here in the UFC, and I’m not trying to be a B-Level fighter. I’m trying to compete against the best.”
Browne then closed by personally praising White for the way the promotion treated him during his UFC run and had some strong closing words for fighters and media members alike who argue for a change in the UFC’s fighter pay allotment.
“You guys have always treated me right,” Browne told White. “The pay has been there, and again, it’s always been at least what the contract was, and most of the time it was more. So these people that are complaining, people in the media that don’t f—ng hear that they hear the little bitch that’s crying and complaining. Because you get these, like, entitled people. Or I don’t know where the f—k it comes from.
“It’s like, they’re just whiny little bitches, and then they go to more whiny little bitches that’ll write about it.”
Travis Browne’s final MMA fight took place four years ago at UFC 213 in a submission loss to Aleksei Oleinik. Given that Browne is married to one of the biggest, highest-paid stars in the history of the sport, perhaps Browne’s hot take is the family stance on the subject.
What do you think of Travis Browne’s argument here regarding fighter pay complaints?
