Unfortunately, post-fight bonuses of $75,000 paid towards fighters will not be permanent according to Dana White.
UFC 262 was the first event where fighters were paid $75,000 for post-fight bonuses, thanks to Tony Ferguson when he proclaimed that “everything is bigger in Texas,” which made UFC President Dana White surprisingly oblige Ferguson’s request. Usually, bonuses are $50,000, where fighters would be rewarded for Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night honors on top of their base pay.
Bonuses of $75,000 were also applied to the recent UFC 264 event. In the post-fight press conference, White was asked why bonuses were increased for this event, where the UFC head gave his reason.
“I was in there giving the fighter meeting and it’s a big fight, I was getting all fired up,” said White. “And I just said f—k it! We get a little fired up in the fighter meeting sometimes.”
As a UFC fighter, this may come as good news and optimism for fighter pay to be increased in the future. However, White was quick to shoot down any expectation of that sort.
“Probably not,” White said when asked if the new bonus structure will be permanent. “(It will) seriously f—k up our budget.”
Contrary to what White may say, that it might affect the budget. Bloody Elbow’s John Nash calculated that it would only 0.5% less of what the UFC generates in a year.
Do you think the UFC should permanently increase post-fight bonuses to $75,000 for fighters?
