Paris Olympics 2024: Dana White’s $300k Bonus Overshadows World Athletics Five-Figure Pay For Fastest Stars

Dana White’s UFC has almost taken over the hype out of World Athletics just a few months before the Paris Olympics 2024. While the athletes need to give their one hundred percent, money too, plays a huge role as a motivator. Thus, as a defining step towards uplifting the spirits of the track and field stars, the World Athletics announced a handsome compensation for their Paris Olympic 2024 athletes. Unfortunately, the buzz around the same would soon die out as the UFC Head Honcho came out with a masterstroke. 

Ahead of the historic UFC 300 on April 13, Dana White shocked the world by announcing a post-fight bonus that is 6x more than the usual one! Such an outrageous gesture has completely overshadowed what was touted as a huge step forward for the track and field realm. 

UFC vs. Track and Field: A battle of monetary supremacy 

In a recent announcement, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe announced a bonus of $50k for all the track athletes winning an Olympic gold in the Paris Olympics 2024. He also stressed on the fact that this amount would be applicable to college athletes as well, despite the taboo from the NCAA. This was a historic moment as track and field became the very first discipline to introduce monetary rewards to its athletes. 

Unfortunately, track enthusiasts would soon be stunned after Dana White’s press conference. After the likes of Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway demanded an increased bonus, a reporter conveyed the concern to the UFC CEO. Initially, White seemed confused as to how much of a raise would be justified. 

After taking inputs from the crowd and fighters alike, Dana White agreed to pay a whopping $300,000 post-fight bonus to the UFC 300 fighters. Well, even as the bonuses announced differ largely, a look at the financial status of both promotions might justify the numbers. 

Dana White and Sebastian Coe: A comparison

Dana White bought the UFC from the Fertitta brothers in 2001. Since then, the 54-year-old hasn’t looked back. Taking the UFC to unimaginable heights, Dana White has amassed a net worth of $500 million. On the other hand, Sebastian Coe took over the reins of the World Athletics in 2015. He, too, has done quite a bit of hard work to bring track and field back to the mainstream. However, for obvious reasons, his net worth stands at £38 million. 

Speaking about the revenue generated by the two promotions, there is a stark difference there as well. The UFC has crossed the billion-dollar mark recently as it recorded an annual revenue of $ 1.3 billion. The World Athletics, also showing promise, has increased its revenue by 26.6% to $54.9 million as of 2022. Thus, even with the stark difference in the bonus amounts, both organizations have taken a step forward, aiming to eliminate the longstanding issue of athlete underpayments.