Fighter Pay Won’t be Affected by Roster Cuts Hints Dana White

Yoel Romero staggered UFC fans last week after he opted-out of the promotion. However, Romero is just the first name on the list of fighters to get cut from the promotion. There will be around 60 fighter cuts in the UFC by 2021 as the promotion wants to free up its space and pour in more and more dynamic talent on the roster.

A huge chunk of the UFC fans feel that fighter cuts are taking place because of the promotion’s financial constraints. They feel that it could result in pay cuts as well for the fighters.

Talking to MMA Junkie, Dana White cleared the air about the same. He said, “We’ve been making these same moves every weekend for 20 years. We haven’t in the past few months. It has nothing to do with fighter pay or anything else. It just hasn’t been done in a few months during the pandemic.”

“If I was trying to save money, I would be laying off employees like every other company in America right now. That’s how you save money during something like this. I have honored every fighter contract and have not laid off one employee during this pandemic.”

Based on these comments, veterans and fighters who are on lengthy losing streaks and are at the end of their contracts could be handed the pink slip in the coming weeks.

Why are the UFC and Dana White laying off its veterans?

The UFC released the legend, Anderson Silva, after his loss to Uriah Hall on 31st October 2020. Silva was riding on 3 consecutive losses and maintained an inactive streak in the division. Just like him, Yoel Romero too had an inactive streak in the UFC and desperately needed a win.

The central reason behind these veterans losing their contract is their age and consistent losses. The UFC is handing over contacts to sturdy fighters who could accrue millions of eyeballs towards the promotion. These include some of the hottest free agents like Michael Chandler and the impressive performers on Dana White’s Contender Series.

There are around 660 fighters in the UFC, and the promotion wants the number to go by 600 or below. Hence, in the coming weeks, we can expect more such big names to get chopped off from the roster. What do you make of the UFC’s thinking behind their decision?

READ – 3 MMA Organizations Reject Anderson Silva for a Contract Prospect