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Dana White first became involved in the UFC as the manager of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He soon found out that the company was facing financial troubles. He decided to contact childhood friend Lorenzo Fertitta about buying the promotion.
In 2001, the Fertitta brothers acquired the UFC for $2million. Dana White was appointed president. In 2016 the parent company Zuffa sold the UFC to Endeavor, but White retained his position.
Since being sold, the UFC has grown into a multi-billion dollar company. However, as early as 2013, fighters started to voice issues with pay. The issue has snowballed in recent years, with multiple fighters speaking out. Big names like Jon Jones, Jorge Masvidal, Francis Ngannou, and others have voiced their displeasure.
Most of the time, athletes signing up to play for a team or company do so on a contractual basis. While players in the NBA, NFL, and others have unionized, no such union exists in MMA. White has always had a set response when faced with the question of fighter pay.
Here are five times Dana White shut down questions about paying UFC fighters less.
#5. A 2013 interview: Are UFC fighters underpaid?
The argument over fighters getting paid has intensified in the past couple of years. However, it has been gathering steam for a long time. Dana White's 2013 interview with Graham Bensinger is a good example.
In the interview, Bensinger asked White if UFC athletes were getting paid enough. Tito Ortiz has said he didn't get what he thought he deserved. Ortiz also alleged the UFC made millions with his fights.
White countered by saying that 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy' got his numbers wrong. He also said that the promotion has to bear all the costs when they put on a show. Thus the revenue generated is much less than what some might think:
"We do all the production ourselves, and the list goes on and on and on, of all the costs that are involved in putting on a show.''
Shutting down such questions is something that White has done repeatedly over the years.
#4. CNBC interview with the UFC owner
Earlier this year, UFC parent company owner Ari Emanuel appeared on the chat show Squawk on the Street. Dana White also joined the interview via video conference. Eventually, the question about fighter pay was asked.
White immediately went on the defensive:
"That's been going on twenty years, and it'll be going on the next twenty years too... I don't think you're ever going to see a scenario where fighters, or anybody for that matter, say they are being overpaid. You don't see guys bringing in revenue, complaining about pay''
The UFC president essentially shifted the blame to the fighters. Emanuel also defended him, saying that since 2005, pay has increased by over 600%.
#3. On the ESPN show, First Take
In June 2020, everyone was waiting for the Fight Island reveal. Dana White appeared on ESPN's First Take to give fans all the details. He explained that Fight Island was in Abu Dhabi. UFC 251 will be the first event to take place there. Inevitably the question about how much fighters will make came up.
Former NFL cornerback turned writer and commentator Domonique Foxworth was also present. When White explained the issues with Masvidal and Jones, Foxworth countered:
''If it's just those two guys then I feel like I could get on board and understand... but there is a long history of issues with the labor in UFC not feeling that they are getting just payment."
Dana White became livid. He spoke of how hard it was to organize these events during the pandemic:
"You don't hear me out here crying about, no, I don't get any gates. I don't have this and I don't have that... and if you think it's easy to be a business owner right now, you're right out of your mind.''
The back and forth continued for a while, but was ultimately inconclusive.
#2. UFC president vents on a podcast
In 2020 stars like Jon Jones called out the UFC. They had pointed out that the organization should give fighters a bigger percentage of revenue generated. This year, newer names like Sean O'Malley and veterans like Jared Cannonier have also joined the conversation.
White himself has constantly been facing the same question. His frustration was palpable when he appeared on Travis Browne's podcast on 31st August 2021.
Browne commended White on keeping the sport afloat during the pandemic and paying his employees. White acknowledged and then went on to vent his anger at the media:
"You've got *explicit* out there who know nothing about the business... telling all the fighters you're not being paid enough money... every media member that talks about fighter pay... is basically just out there trying to get attention."
Yet again, he tried to shutdown any questions about the issue. He even alleged that the media is having a direct influence on what fighters say.
#1. UFC 250 post-fight press conference: Dana White vs. Jorge Masvidal
Jorge Masvidal is among the most popular fighters in the UFC. In early June 2020, Masvidal did an interview with Kenny Mayne on SportsCenter. The octagon veteran discussed the dispute with his new contract. He said that fighters only get 18% of the revenue generated. He also alleged that he was offered less money to fight Usman than Nate Diaz:
"I have these questions, I want them answered."
However, Gamebred's questions fell on deaf ears. When asked by the media, Dana White reverted to citing the pandemic as a defense. He even took a jab at Masvidal's ''18%'' estimate:
''Being the financial wizard that he is, I'm assuming his numbers are correct... if people don't wanna fight, you don't have to fight."
Masvidal made a slew of tweets after White's comments. The UFC president made no further response. SInce the incident, Gamebred has fought Kamaru Usman twice.
