Former champion explains how UFC contract works, dismisses the concept of 'red panty night'

Former middleweight champion Michael Bisping recently opened up about the misconceptions surrounding big-money fights in the UFC and rubbished the concept of fighters having a "red panty night" in the promotion.

In a recent episode of the Believe You Me podcast, 'The Count' broke down how a contract works and explained how contracted fighters are paid on a per-fight basis.

Conor McGregor coined the infamous "red panty night" catchphrase during the 'Go Big' press conference in September 2015, indicating that any fight against him was a big-money fight owing to his stardom.

Bisping referenced the same catchphrase while iterating that since fighters sign contracts, they must fight for whatever amount of money the organization offers them:

"Money fights, red panty night, all that stuff. I think there's a misconception there... It's true what I'm about to say. Obviously, you have a contract, whether that's three fights, six fights, eight fights, or whatever it is. You have to adhere to that contract."

Michael Bisping further explained how superstar fighters like Conor McGregor could potentially persuade the promotion to pay them more per-fight, but the final decision lies in the company's hands, saying:

"For every fighter, there's an individual bout agreement... If you find someone of the magnitude of Conor McGregor, then maybe, if the UFC feels like it... You can negotiate some extra money, but they don't have to because you're under contract."

Catch Michael Bisping's comments below (1:26:37):

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UFC contracts: Dana White claims he pays his fighters more than the necessary contractual amount

Fighter pay within the UFC has been a contentious issue for several years. Many believe that the promotion's pay structure does not reflect the company's exponential revenue growth over the past decade and that fighters must receive healthcare and medical pay benefits.

With high-profile fighters like Francis Ngannou and Paulo Costa openly criticizing the promotion's athlete compensation, others have come forward to complain about the lack of pay.

However, Dana White refutes such claims and consistently rubbishes any calls for more fighter pay. The UFC president stated that fighters are paid more than they are contractually meant to earn.

On an episode of the Bussin' with the Boys podcast, White claimed:

"All these guys that I do deals with, they sign contracts. And this is a fact, not only do I pay them what they're contracted to make, I actually pay them more than they're contracted to make."