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UFC president Dana White says the promotion will explore raising fight compensation in the wake of its new seven-year, $7.7 billion media-rights deal with Paramount.
“This is going to be incredible for the fighters. We’ve talked about how this is good for the fans and good for the sport, but the fighters are also big beneficiaries here,” White tells Front Office Sports. “We’ve looked to increase fighter pay whenever we could, even back in the beginning when we were losing money, and certainly will be doing so again.”
White, however, did not detail what those pay increases would be or when they would be arriving.
UFC fighters are not unionized, and their compensation has long been a point of contention within the sport. Earlier this year, a federal judge granted final approval of a $375 million UFC fighter pay lawsuit.
Fighters typically compete on show-and-win contracts, which pay one sum for participating in an event, and a further payment for winning. Those deals can vary greatly, and many UFC stars have typically made more money from their share of pay-per-view revenue, which will not be a part of the Paramount deal.
The yearly average payment of the new media-rights deal, which begins next year, will double the $550 million that ESPN currently pays for UFC rights.
Jake Paul, who has been a vocal critic of UFC fighter pay, believes that clarity is a good thing. “Every fighter in the UFC now has a clear picture of what the revenue is,” Paul posted on X/Twitter. “No more PPV excuses. Get your worth boys and girls.”
White also told FOS that the new media deal is “going to be huge, and we’re incredibly pumped about being in business with Paramount.”
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