Dana White insists ‘most fighters don’t want people to know how much money they make’ as UFC president weighs in on pay debate again following rant at ‘f***ing loser’ Oscar de la Hoya
- UFC have come under fire for what some deem to be low fighter pay in the past
- Dana White hit back at Oscar de la Hoya for his criticism on the issue last week
- UFC president has now said that most fighters do not want their pay disclosed
Dana White believes most fighters would rather not have their pay disclosed publicly after they compete.
The UFC president has rarely weighed in on the debate surrounding fighter pay and criticism of how the organisation compensates their talent.
But last week he hit back at Oscar de la Hoya for his jibe about low pay and continued to speak about the subject on Tuesday after the Contender Series TV show.
Dana White weighed in on the issue of fighter pay again, saying most fighters do not disclose it
Oscar de la Hoya criticised the UFC for ‘paying Alexander Volkanovski (left) 1/20th of what he is worth’ for his title defence against Brian Ortega at UFC 266
White said: ‘It doesn’t matter to me if these guys want to let you know what they make.
‘You guys asked (Kevin) Holland the other day, and what did he say? He said people were hitting him up for money after I said it.
‘Most of these guys want what’s called an LOA (Letter of agreement), where you don’t get to see their money.
‘Most of the fighters want an LOA. They don’t want people to know how much they make and you can imagine why they don’t. People start coming out of the woodwork and looking for money when they think you got it.’
When asked how he feels about fighter pay being in the public eye and some competitors choosing to reveal how much they’ve earned, White added: ‘I don’t really give a s*** anymore.
White believes fighters have hangers-on asking for money when they reveal their pay
‘You guys all know Conor’s making f****ing truckloads of money and he’s doing well. Most of the pay-per-view (numbers) that come out are close or in the ballpark of what they are, so, no real big secrets out there.’
De La Hoya had tweeted: ‘Hey Alexander Volkanovski, you just won a brutal battle for the UFC and made 1/20 of what you’re worth. Dana White, have some f***ing respect for yourself and these fighters and pay these warriors what they deserve.’
After De La Hoya’s remarks, White gave his most impassioned defence of the UFC’s remuneration, arguing: ‘I said it to (De La Hoya) yesterday, and I’ll say it to him again: He accomplished a lot of great things in boxing. Outside of the ring, the guy’s an absolute f****ing loser.’
‘He’s a liar and many other things, and I can’t tell you – maybe you can tell – how much I despise this human being, but that’s the only reason that I’m even f****ing doing this. This is it. This is the last time. I’m not going at it again.
Oscar de la Hoya had criticised the UFC for not paying their fighters what they’re worth
‘He’s concerned about Alexander Volkanovski. OK, before we pay $1m in f****ing purse money, right, Volkanovski got paid more to wear his UFC Venum kit than Oscar De La Hoya paid the entire f******g fight card.
‘Do you understand what I’m saying? To walk out with the Venum fight kit on, he was paid more than Oscar paid the entire f****ing fight card. I could go on, but I think we all get the f****ing point: He’s a liar.
‘Fighter comp has gone through the roof over the last five years since the sale, you know, and it’s going to continue to go up.’
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