The UFC has constantly found themselves being called out over fighter pay due to the discrepancy between the percentage of revenue athletes in the promotion and other major sports leagues are paid.
Michael Bisping recently found himself involved in an online back-and-forth centered around fighter pay due to the cut suffered by Irene Aldana at UFC 306. Luke Thomas of Morning Kombat kicked off the conversation, tweeting:
"This is broken record material, but it's another situation where the importance of fighter pay stands out. The cut on Irene Aldana is all-time bad. Arguably the worst in UFC history. What did possible lifelong disfigurement earn her?"
Bisping responded by claiming that fighters are aware of the risks that they take:
"Bad take. Fighters, boxers, mma, whatever we take risks. Could have happened on the regional scene for 50 bucks. Boxers on the prelims of the biggest fights ever have died for extremely little. These are the risks we take as fighters and we are fully aware."
X user @peter_ssarg then chimed in, labeling the UFC Hall of Famer as a bootlicker:
"Bootlicker Bisping going on record saying more money for fighters is a bad take. Such a [power] slap in the face"
Bisping fired back defending his stance:
"No m**on. I’m always for fighters getting as much as possible. The point was about a cut and how you should get more cos of a bad cut. Anyway, jog on d**khead."
Check out the full back-and-forth between Michael Bisping and fans below:
Bisping has often found himself on the receiving end of criticism from fans. The former middleweight champion has faced accusations of being a company man and being afraid to speak against the promotion.
While many would agree that fighters should receive a higher percentage of the revenue split, it is hard to argue with the stance that similar injuries could happen on the regional scene for even less money.
Michael Bisping shares opponent, Sean O'Malley could face in return to UFC
Sean O'Malley was unable to retain the bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 306, losing to Merab Dvalishvili via unanimous decision. Michael Bisping recently revealed that he believes Henry Cejudo could be the next opponent for 'Suga'. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former middleweight champion stated:
"Henry Cejudo is going to be campaigning for that fight. Stylistically, after what we just saw against Merab, that's a good matchup."
Check out Michael Bisping's comments on Sean O'Malley's potential opponent below (5:16):
Cejudo has already began to angle for the opportunity to face O'Malley. It is unclear if the promotion would have interest in pitting the former champions against one another.