Dana White Lowballing Henry Cejudo With a Disturbing $150K at UFC 298 Lands Him in Trouble With Fans

Recently, reports claimed that Dana White surpassed $23 million in fighter salaries for UFC 298. However, some fighters were paid surprisingly less compared to their standing in the promotion. As such, the details regarding the payout of former double champion Henry Cejudo have triggered fans who expressed their anger with the UFC CEO.

Henry Cejudo is one of the best fighters in the UFC if we look at what he’s achieved throughout his career. However, he did not fare well in his last fight against Merab Dvalishvili, against whom he lost via decision. But being one of the four simultaneous two-division champions the promotion has ever seen, his payout details came as a shock to many.

As per reports, ‘Triple C’ made a measly $150,000 for the fight at UFC 298. Former champions are often paid well in the UFC, however, that was not the case with Henry Cejudo. Furthermore, fighters such as Mackenzie Dern and Marcos Rogerio de Lima, who’ve never been a champion in the promotion, were reportedly paid more by Dana White than the former double champion.

Also, it is important to note that Ilia Topuria made history by becoming the first champion as a fighter to represent Spain. He defeated Alexander Volkanovski, who had been on a roll before the UFC 298 loss. But that was still not enough for Dana White to consider a million-dollar payout for ‘El Matador’ as he got paid a meager $350,000 for his epic knockout win. Nevertheless, fans were disappointed with Dana White when it came to Henry Cejudo’s payout, which was apparent by their reactions on a Reddit post.

Fans were unhappy with Dana White for Henry Cejudo’s $150K payout

Fighter pay has always been an issue with the UFC. As such, the fans were not having it with Dana White after learning that a former double champion like Henry Cejudo got paid just $150,000. They can’t seem to understand where the problem was, wondering if ‘Triple C’s manager could not strike a good deal for his fighter. Furthermore, one fan recalled that Cejudo wanted to earn more money when he announced his retirement in 2020.

“That’s inexcusable for an athlete as decorated as Henry, but with such a ridiculously low payout, I have to wonder if it’s just the UFC playing hardball, or if Henry’s manager is just THAT much of a pushover.”

“Henry retired as a double champion 4 years ago and said at the presser he wanted more money. The UFC hates that. Then Henry made clear for years he wanted to return, while Dana made clear he didn’t care for a return of Henry. This is the UFC making Henry pay for retiring as a double champ, when he could have made a lot of money.”

The fans believe that Dana White is a greedy promoter, given that his promotion has been bringing in billions and billions of dollars in revenue year after year. They claim the disparity between the payouts and the revenue is there for all to see.

“Dana that greedy mofo”

“It’s crazy how underpaid UFC fighters are while the company rakes in billions. Worse that they can’t even get sponsors in their shorts.”

Some fans wondered if such low payout cases can be held in court for the ongoing anti-trust lawsuit against the UFC. They believe it is disrespectful on Dana White’s behalf to pay someone like Henry Cejudo such a meager paycheck. However, one fan claimed that ‘Triple C’ lost his place in the UFC CEO’s good books after he retired in his prime.

“I wonder if shit like this will be used in that antitrust lawsuit.”

“Wow that’s disrespectful as f*** if that’s real”

“He had 0 leverage anymore after retiring. UFC didnt care if he fought or not”

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The way Dana White and the UFC pay their fighters is an issue that has driven many fighters out of the promotion, including former champion Francis Ngannou. Even after being called out publicly by many people, things still don’t look like it has changed much in the UFC. It remains to be seen if Henry Cejudo will react to the sentiments of the fans regarding his UFC 298 paycheck in the days to come.

Read More: Joe Rogan ‘Bummed’ Out by Henry Cejudo’s Retirement in 2020; UFC Commentator Expresses His “Conflicting Feelings”