'These guys get paid what they're supposed to get paid'

UFC president Dana White said in a video that fighters get paid what they're supposed to get paid, even though he's in his current position.

The topic of fighter pay has been a hot-button issue in MMA for a long time, and was thrust further into the spotlight by Jake Paul in recent months. UFC fighters are paid more reasonably than high-profile boxers, according to a recent interview with White.

White said that boxing has been destroyed because of money. I'm here and it won't happen while I'm here. These guys are paid what they are supposed to be paid. What they kill is what they eat. The pay-per-view buys give them a percentage. The money is distributed among the fighters.

According to data unearthed during the ongoing antitrust lawsuit, the UFC pays fighters 20% of its revenue. The National Football League, NBA, and MLB share half of their revenue with players, but they are not unionized and athletes can collectively bargain. MMA and UFC fighters don't have the same things in common.

"Boxing has absolutely been destroyed, because of money and all the things that go on. It's never gonna happen while I'm here. Believe me, these guys get paid what they're supposed to get paid. They eat what they kill. They get a percentage of the pay-per-view buys. And the money is spread out amongst all the fighters." Dana White, on pay raises in UFC

Collective bargaining can be difficult due to the fact that UFC fighters are classified as independent contractors. Jeff Borris, a former baseball agent, tried to unionize UFC fighters.

White said there weren't many things he could say about the UFC. We've done a great job with the business over the last 22 years. We've never done anything like that in the fight business. I suppose you have to have something to complain about. Fighters are always looking for more money.

UFC's revenue has grown steeply since then, despite the fact that fighter pay has gone up over the past decade.

Dana White said that no major sports organization pays its athletes as poorly as he does. You are a part of Dana's sheeps if you don't see that. They talk about selling out 21 events in a row but never talk about raising fighter pay.

The UFC is accused of being a monopoly or monopsony, controlling the vast majority of the sport's market share, and locking fighters into contracts that don't allow them to test their value.

Fighters from the MMA Fighters Association don't want to be unionized. The MMAFA wants the Muhammad Ali Act to be extended to MMA. The extension to MMA was brought to the attention of the House of Representatives by Rep. Markwayne Mullin. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent by the UFC against the law.

A federal judge said in 2020 that he would grant class certification in the antitrust case and allow a larger number of fighters to be paid a share of the damages. The case seems poised to go on for many more years despite the judge not making class certification official.

MMAFA founder Rob Maysey said that the UFC pays fighters less than 20% of revenue. The only way to determine what fighters are supposed to get paid is to remove the UFC's contractual restrictions.