Dana White bashes fan for fighter pay question
Fighter pay is a hot button issue in MMA, and UFC President Dana White seems to be growing tired of it.
During a fan Q&A on Twitter on Thursday afternoon, the UFC boss was asked why fighters are paid so little. He responded a with a bit of name-calling, and with an assurance that fighter pay will probably always be an issue.
Q: Why are you so cheap and pay fighters less than what they should be paid? #AskDana
– @Boo_el_prez— danawhite (@danawhite) September 19, 2019
“First of all, you’re a dick, let’s start there,” White replied. “You don’t know what fighters get paid. Everybody wants more money, everybody needs more money it’s always gonna be an issue.”
Over the years, many fighters have complained about the size of their pay checks. One of the latest to do so was UFC flyweight Paige VanZant, who went so far as to say she makes more money posting on Instagram than she does from fighting.
“I make way more money sitting at home, posting pictures on Instagram, than I do fighting,” VanZant said on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show recently. “When I did my contract negotiation the last time, the talk was, “I can’t pay you more than a female champion.’ Okay, but why are comparing me to just women? All of us should be getting paid more in general.”
“I want a significant pay raise, to be completely honest,” she added. “I’ve just been extremely accomplished outside of the UFC, as well as inside of the UFC. Five wins in the UFC, four finishes, I’ve been main event twice, and I think someone with those accolades should be paid more.”
Unfortunately for VanZant, this comment was more or less blown off by Dana White, who merely applauded her for finding other ways to make money
“Good for her,” White said this summer. “That’s awesome. Listen, if a fighter can make more money doing other things, good for her.”
What do you think of these comments from Dana White? Should UFC fighters be paid more?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 9/20/2019.
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