Dwayne Johnson recently took to Twitter to express his astonishment and empathy upon learning about an African fighter in the UFC. Themba Gorimbo, who recently won his first fight in the octagon, had a mere $7.49 in his bank account. While Johnson’s compassionate response garnered widespread praise, it also sheds light on the controversy surrounding the fighter’s pay issue in the UFC.
With ‘The Rock’ being one of the stakeholders in the UFC, fans trashed the $800M superstar even after reporting $60M losses with XFL.
Dwayne Johnson heavily criticized despite his philanthropic efforts
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In a heartfelt message, Dwayne Johnson expressed his astonishment upon discovering the meager amount in the African fighter’s bank account. Reflecting on his own humble beginnings, the Hollywood star empathized with the fighter’s struggle and vowed to help him.
Amidst the buzz surrounding Dwayne Johnson’s generous pledge, fans started to bring in Johnson’s deal with the UFC regarding ‘Project Rock’, which makes his brand the official footwear partner of the promotion. The reactions from fans drew attention to the underlying issues of income inequality within professional fighting. A wave of criticism took over as fans flooded their response.
You better not give him free shoes. Nobody wants those.
— Rudy (@RudyLTX) June 11, 2023
Johnson’s brand once also had Nate Diaz annoyed. The UFC has had fighters wear those shoes during promotional events and as per several sources, the athletes do not receive any cut for it. This had left many unhappy with DJ’s brand. And when the WWE personality recently tried to bring his philanthropic side to light, social media users shot back.
Similarly, another fan shared their relentless opinion on the tweet.
How big a cut of the shoe deal that you have with the UFC goes towards the fighters?
— Tyler (@gimmeMMAplz) June 12, 2023
Another fan was angry over ‘The Rock’s tweet.
Team Rock endorsement? Zoa Athlete maybe?
— Othata Mokgwathi (@makthata) June 11, 2023
Twitter users shared their resentment despite the generosity of ‘The Rock’. Johnson’s tweet left many with a bitter taste in their mouths.
I don’t know why this pisses me off but it does
— LOCK TITE BETS ☀️☀️ (@LockTiteMMA) June 12, 2023
A UFC fan came up with a solution for ‘The Rock’ as they expressed their anger.
You could always increase fighter sponsor pay. Ya know since they have to wear your shoes.
— Jason Yost (@allthasmoke420) June 10, 2023
There were sarcastic responses from internet users after Johnson’s philanthropic move.
After UFC payday and cut from Rock's shoe deal he has like $13,5
— MiddleageMutantNoGiToad (@jyrikangas) June 11, 2023
Lastly, a fan criticized Dwayne Johnson’s deal with the UFC.
Maybe give him a cut of the shoe profits as you force him to wear UA shoes without compensation or sponsorship
— Dr. Richard Kimble (@GhosterCoaster) June 10, 2023
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The discontent from the fans was evident as the fighter pay issue continue to rise in the UFC. The contrasting narrative surrounding the $800M star’s lucrative UFC deal has ignited criticism and sparked discussions about fair compensation for athletes across different levels of competition.
While even ‘DJ’ was sucked into the UFC fighter pay issues conversation, there are bigger issues awaiting at his XFL. His newly launched XFL league is in a huge financial loss, amounting to $60,000,000. Thus, the Hollywood star had to let go of some employees. Since Johnson is looking at XFL as a long-term investment, it would be interesting to see if the league can get out of troubled waters.
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What do you think of the public outrage? Let us know in the comments.
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