Sports
Dana White Called Out For ‘Lying’ Over Fighter Pay After UFC 324
UFC CEO Dana White has been called out over the company’s pay after one of his own fighters leaked their post-fight bonus receipts.
Saturday night’s UFC 324 event marked the dawning of a new era for the world’s leading MMA promotion on many fronts. Not only was it the first show of a $7.7 billion deal with streaming giant Paramount+, but it also saw the introduction of a brand-new bonus scheme.
Under the new system, the Performance of the Night bonuses that had previously been $50,000 have now been doubled to $100,000. This meant that Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett walked away with $100,000 each for their Fight of the Night in the main event.
Elsewhere, Ty Miller knocked out Adam Fugitt in the opening fight of the night to claim the next six-figure payout, before Josh Hokit followed up with another stoppage win to scoop $100,000 himself.
The UFC’s New Bonus Structure Explained
However, the UFC will also now award $25,000 to any fighter who scores a finish in a bout [and didn’t receive a Performance of the Night], so long as they made weight for that contest. As a result, Nikita Krylov earned the finishing bonus for his knockout win over Modestas Bukauskas on the late prelims, with Waldo Cortes-Acosta earning the same for his TKO win over Derrick Lewis on the main card.
When quizzed over the decision to establish the new bonus structure, White revealed that bonuses had always been paid to every fighter on a show. However, he noted that these were on a case-by-case basis and not made public.
The veteran matchmaker insisted:
“Everybody on the card would get a check for different dollar amounts depending on how they fought, ranging anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000 every event. Those are going away [in favour of the new bonus system].”
Although White was happy to speak about the company’s track record of always looking after their fighters financially, it took mere hours until one of Dana’s own competitors proved that his argument was flawed.
UFC Fighter Shares Post-Fight Bonus Pay
Veteran lightweight Matt Frevola took to social media to post an image of a letter he received from White, enclosing his most recent bonus. Although the six-year UFC veteran was apparently trying to help paint Dana in a good light, it didn’t have the desired result.
The letter revealed that Frevola had only been sent a $3,000 bonus following his October 2025 loss to Kyle Nelson, and fans were quick to notice the $2,000 shortfall from the $5,000 minimum Dana had claimed.
“That’s not 5k,” noted one response.
“He said $5-25k was the range?” asked another confused fan.
Others focused on the bonus amount itself:
“3k to Dana is like me finding a penny in my wallet,” declared a third poster, with a fourth writing: “3k minus 30% tax. Dana’s socks probably cost more than that.”
It’s worth pointing out that the UFC is under no obligation to pay any discretionary bonuses at all. However, in light of their lucrative new broadcasting arrangement, the subject of fighter pay is now firmly in the spotlight.
Prior to UFC 324, Justin Gaethje went viral with his complaints over the company’s revenue-sharing policies, and he’s unlikely to be the last to do so as the promotion starts to reap the financial rewards from the staggering deal.
