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Current and former UFC fighters are taking notice of Zuffa Boxing signing Conor Benn to a one-fight deal worth a reported $15 million.
UFC President Dana White is Zuffa Boxing’s lead promoter. The boxing promotion is a joint venture between the UFC’s parent company, TKO, and the Saudi Arabia-based company Sela. The promotion put on its first official event on Jan. 23 and recently revealed its championship belt.
Zuffa’s signing of Benn sent shockwaves through the combat sports world. UFC bantamweight Sean O’Malley, however, was less impressed, sharing his thoughts on the signing on the latest episode of his podcast.
“I don’t even know who Conor Benn is,” he said. “It’s crazy how you put in so much work in the UFC, build this name, create this character, be a star. I’m not making fucking $15 million to fight.”
O’Malley is a former champion and has 4.8 million followers on Instagram, compared to Benn’s 2.4 million. Despite his reaction, he insisted that he doesn’t take the signing personally.
“If they think that’s a good business move and that guy’s gonna bring in money, I get it,” he said.
Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson also weighed in. Like O’Malley, he hadn’t heard of Benn prior to last week’s signing.
“$15 million for one fight, it’s crazy,” Johnson, who last fought for UFC in 2018, said in a video posted to his personal YouTube page. “Is Khamzat Chimaev making $15 million? Is Ilia Topuria making $15 million? Is Merab Dvalishvili making $15 million? We don’t know because those numbers are always hidden, but I truly believe it’s a flex from Dana White.”
UFC fighter pay has been a contentious topic over the years. In 2024, the MMA giant agreed to a $375 million settlement following a class action antitrust lawsuit that accused UFC of paying fighters less than they are entitled to.
Benn is 24–1 and last fought on Nov. 15, defeating Chris Eubank Jr. in front of a sold-out crowd at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Prior to signing with Zuffa, he was with Matchroom Boxing and Eddie Hearn.
“I blame myself because I forgot it was boxing,” Hearn said of losing Benn to Zuffa in an interview with iFL TV. “Very surprising. Very painful. It’s just another moment in life that you live and learn from. I don’t really know what to say.”
The chairman of Matchroom Sport spoke the following day with The Stomping Ground, saying UFC fighters must be “sick as a dog” seeing Benn’s deal.
“If you’re a UFC fighter, you’re looking at this Zuffa and going, ‘what the fuck?’ I’m being absolutely ripped off here,” he said. “I’m generating more revenue than these guys and I’m getting a tenth of the money.”
White responded to Hearn’s comments in his press conference after UFC Fight Night on Feb. 21.
“I think you saw this week, I am really beating up babies,” the UFC president said. “Is there a bigger pussy than Eddie Hearn?”
The two promoters have been going back-and-forth at each other through the media for weeks now, with Benn’s signing marking the latest dispute.
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