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Dana White raised some eyebrows in the combat sports world when he declared that boxing's top athletes were 'overpaid.' It was a controversial statement given longstanding accusations that the UFC severely underpays its own fighters.
UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes is set to face Tom Aspinall in the UFC's July return to London, UK. In a recent interview with MiddleEasy, 'Razor' Blaydes weighed in on his boss Dana White's words, saying:
"I don't think they're overpaid. I think the market is what sets your pay. Boxers have been earning this kind of income since the 90s or maybe even further beyond that, my boxing history is not good. But I believe people want to see these guys fight, that's why they earn so much. If the boxing promotions weren't earning profits off these guys, they wouldn't be earning the money they are. I don't believe they're overpaid. If boxers are overpaid that means LeBron [James] is overpaid and Odell Beckham's overpaid and [Rodney] Rogers' overpaid. The market sets the pay so people want to see these athletes perform, you pay them. I think it's great for the sport."
Watch the full MiddleEasy interview with Curtis Blaydes below:
Curtis Blaydes' most recent fight was a second round TKO win over Chris Daukaus in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio is one of the few states in the US with a commission that still reports fighter purses, so we know how much Blaydes made in his last outing.
According to the Ohio Athletic Commission, he earned $262,000 ($131,000 to show, $131,000 to win) plus a $50,000 performance bonus.
Dana White slams boxing pay, saying "You can't build a league like that"
Dana White made headlines when he went on the Pivot Podcast and stated that boxers making $30 million dollars were overpaid. He said:
"One of the big problems with boxing too, is that all those f***ing guys are overpaid, and every time they put on a fight, it’s a going-out-of-business sale. We’re just trying to get as much f***ing money as we can from you guys, and then we’re out of here. We’ll see you in three years. You can’t build a league like that. You can’t build a sport. You can’t have 750 fighters under contract, making money, feeding their families every year, with that kind of mentality. It doesn’t work."
Dana White contrasted the boxing model to his UFC model, saying:
"The reason this business has been this rocket ship of success is because not only have we built a solid [business] where these fighters are all making lots of money and doing well — even guys that are journeymen.”
Watch the full Pivot Podcast with Dana White below:
