Badou Jack calls out Dana White for 'lying' that he made just $75K for a fight compared to a prelim UFC fighter making $750K

Badou Jack (left), Dana White (right) [Left image courtesy: @badoujack on Instagram]
Badou Jack (left), Dana White (right) [Left image courtesy: @badoujack on Instagram]

Dana White recently appeared on the Pardon My Take podcast and claimed that a UFC fighter who was set to fight in the prelims of UFC 268 was making $750,000. White drew a comparison to former champion boxer Badou Jack who was apparently fighting for $75,000. The UFC president said:

"You know this kid [Badou] Jack, former world champion. He's fighting this weekend in the Middle East, and he's making $75k, okay? A guy who's on the prelims, never been a world champion, and I won't mention his name, is making $750,000."

It is unclear which UFC fighter Dana White was talking about. However, Badou Jack has responded to White's claims of his supposed pay. He said in a tweet:

"Lmao @danawhite I would never fight for that type of money ever in my life. Not sure who told you these lies... That won't even cover my training camp. But thanks for the free promotion"

It would appear that the former world champion did not take kindly to Dana White's claims. Badou Jack pointed out that the amount mentioned by White wouldn't even cover his training camp for the fight. Jack ended by sarcastically thanking the UFC president for giving him exposure to a wider audience.

Badou Jack is currently scheduled to fight Johnny Muller in a light heavyweight clash in Abu Dhabi.


Dana White and the debate surrounding fighter pay

The UFC president has been the center of widespread criticism by fighters and fans for a while now. One of the biggest arguments against him has been that the UFC does not pay fighters an adequate percentage of the promotion's overall revenue.

Dana White has countered the notion by saying the UFC pays fighters more than any other MMA promotion. However, many are quick to bring up the fact that boxers get paid more than MMA fighters, to which Dana White does not agree.

It is most likely a topic of debate that Dana White will have to deal with, as long as boxers continue to earn more than most MMA fighters do. The increasing number of former MMA fighters such as Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley jumping over to boxing for bigger paydays won't help White's case, either.

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Edited by Avinash Tewari