Shakur Stevenson explains why he disagrees with UFC's 50/50 pay structure for fighters: "It's going to create chaos"

Shakur Stevenson recently shared his thoughts on the UFC's 50/50 pay model for fighters and explained why he didn't like it. The boxing superstar strongly rejected the notion of paying fighters only half their purse if they lost a bout and explained how it could harm the sport.

Many UFC fighters get paid as per the 'Show & Win' structure, which means they receive one-half of their contracted amount to show up for the fight, and the remaining half only if they win the fight. This is also popularly called the 50/50 model. While some believe this motivates fighters to go for the finish, others claim it doesn't incentivize fighters to accept tough opponents.

In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Stevenson explained:

"Yeah, I disagree with that. Just because, guys, you want guys all to fight these fights, where it’s 50-50 fights. If you want them to get in the ring, if you tell them they’re not going to make a certain amount of money if they don’t win the fight, they’re not going to get into the ring. It's going to create chaos, and people are not going to fight each other."

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Shakur Stevenson on UFC CEO Dana White venturing into the boxing business

In the same interview, Shakur Stevenson also shared his two cents on UFC frontman Dana White seemingly venturing into the boxing world. While Stevenson lauded White for his contribution to the sport, he expressed dismay that the fighters' pay could be reduced.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani, the boxing superstar addressed the TKO Boxing endeavor, which also involves Turki Alalshikh, and said:

"I like Dana. Dana's a great guy. I actually never really got the chance to meet him, but I watch everything he says and does... The only thing I'm going to say is, pay me. I'm not trying to get a pay cut. I know these guys are trying to bring the pay back down, I'm not with that."

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Edited by Nishant Zende.