Dana White has taken a deep dive into the issue of fighter pay, which includes laying down a challenge to anyone who is complaining about it.
Yesterday, we ran a story about former UFC heavyweight Travis Browne defending Dana White and the UFC on the subject of fighter pay. Browne stated that he was always treated fairly while competing in the promotion and also opined that any fighter complaining about their salary is an entitled, “whiny little bitch.”
On the same episode of Browne’s Tough Business podcast, Dana White also opened up extensively on the subject.
“The thing is with the fight business, the fight business is a game where everybody wants more money, everybody wants to be paid more. It’s never gonna end,” White said. “At the end of the day, what we’re talking about here, we’re running a business. And there’s a reason we’ve been as successful as we have been.”
White went on to point out that part of running a successful business is making long-term investments that benefit the entire sport, which in turn benefits everyone within the UFC. The fact that people either lack the awareness or understanding of such facts, White says, is why he doesn’t bother taking the time to engage in debates about fighter pay. White also made sure to lay down a challenge to anyone who is unhappy with the UFC’s fighter pay.
“You know how much money we reinvest in the sport to make the sport bigger and better for everybody, which is what boxing has never done, and that’s one of a million things where they fucked up? And listen, at the end of the day, when you run a business, it’s about knowing who you are. Who are you? And what you’ve done for people that other people don’t know about. So none of that shit matters (to me).
“That’s why I don’t ever defend when people try to talk about fighter pay and all this shit. You don’t ever hear me coming out and going, whoa! [MOCK ARGUES] Shut the fuck up. You have no idea what you’re talking about. You guys know nothing about this business. And if you do, if you’re that fuckin’ smart and you think you got all the fuckin’ answers, then go out there and compete with me. Pay all the fighters more money than I’m payin’ ‘em, and you build your own fuckin’ business. See how that works. Put that on all the media guys that are out there talking about it. They can’t do it.”
White closed by saying that when the sport is invested in and the UFC brand grows as a result, that’s how stars like Chuck Liddell, Ronda Rousey, and Conor McGregor are created. And when that happens, White argued, everybody wins.
Does Dana White make valid points here?
