“Dana Is Ripping the Fighters”: Historic $387M Profits Sees UFC and Dana White Face the Brunt of Fans Amid Francis Ngannou Controversy

Over decades in the fight business, the UFC has cemented itself as the premier organization in the field of MMA. Being the home to some of the most popular and legendary names in sports, the promotion has a reach that spans across the globe. With such a fan following and reputation, it should be a surprise to no one that Dana White and the company make some serious cash. But how profitable is the pinnacle promotion of MMA?

According to a recently published Financial paper, UFC minted a mammoth $387 million in profits last year. According to speculations, this is more than the combined profit of every other major MMA and boxing promotion combined. If Luke Thomas of Morning Combat is to be believed, this amount is probably the highest profit any combat sports organization has ever made in its entire history.

This comes as a shocker, considering the organization has been on the receiving end of criticism for fighter’s pay. Many big names, including current heavyweight champion Jon Jones, have shown their dissatisfaction with their compensation in the past. Recently, former UFC Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has been vocal on this issue. Ngannou parted ways with the promotion in January this year, stating low pay as one of the reasons behind the move.

In comparison to this, British Boxing Promotion, Matchbox made just $14 million in profits. But despite its salary being dwarfed by UFC, the organization’s top fighter routinely make 8 figures in income. Dana White has often been the target of critics for this, but the UFC president seems quite rigid in his stance. He often defends his views by using boxing as an example, attributing high paychecks to be the reason behind the downfall of the sport. According to a report by Way of Martial Arts, 19% of UFC fighters make less than the average U.S. income of $25,000.

Fans react and Dana White faces backlash

As soon as this news broke out, fans took to the internet to express their opinion. As expected, Dana White received the heat from the fans.

“The thing isn’t about Francis it’s about every UFC fighter deserving more”

“Fight of the Night bonus has been the same since 2005”

“Thank you. Dana is ripping the fighters.”

“UFC is gross”

“Profit like that means they are cutting costs somewhere”

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However, it wasn’t all gloomy for the UFC. Some fans came to UFC and White’s defense.

“His demands are unrealistic. Period”

“By that logic, Disneyland should let people in for free”

“Honestly, Francis isn’t worth the money he wanted…”

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Thus, people had a lot of things to say. What is your stance on UFC fighter’s pay?