UFC’s latest $7.7 billion deal with Paramount Pictures is set to be a game-changer for fighters, bringing added bonuses and financial upgrades.
Following the signing of the seven-year deal, UFC CEO Dana White announced that he would be increasing post-fight bonuses once everything is in place. White hasn’t revealed any specifics yet, but promised that the new agreement will lead to significant improvements for fighters, particularly in terms of pay.
“We’re running a pretty lean cost structure, and in that cost structure is fighter pay,” Shapiro said during the Goldman Sachs Communacopia and Technology Conference. “We’re going to continue to do right by our fighters and our superstars.
“The cream of the crop will be paid the premium dollars. When we do deals like this, we don’t hoard that money. We invest in the product.”
TKO Holdings President Ben Shapiro has yet to offer any numbers or percentages, but he emphasised that athletes under the TKO umbrella still earn more money than with any other combat sports promotion.
“We’re going to share as much as it makes sense with the stars of both leagues,” Shapiro said, referring to UFC and WWE. “We will be very competitive. We are very competitive. We pay more than any other competitor we have in the combat sports space, and we know why we’re here. It’s a team effort. It’s our brand. It’s the work that Dana White does, and on the WWE side, it’s the creative force that Triple H brings. It’s the strategy that Nick Khan drives. It’s ultimately the hard work put in by our crews.
“Remember, we’re doing a lot of fights per week. Monday Night Raw, you’ve got NXT on Tuesday night, you’ve got Friday Night SmackDown, you’ve got a UFC fight, and sometimes you have a [premium live event] or a numbered [UFC] event. There are a lot of events to put down. There are no breaks in this company, it’s 52 weeks a year.
“So we have to pay for performance in terms of our people, and the same goes for our fighters and superstars. You shouldn’t expect anything out of the ordinary. It’s a run rate for us, but we’re focused on it.”
Shapiro acknowledged that some fighters earn more than others, but said that comes with the territory, as superstars driving ratings and ticket sales, especially through PPV points, receive a larger share, particularly champions and headliners. For now, White says the company is still working out the logistics, but confirmed changes are coming.
“Yes, you’ll get some of those Conor McGregors, if you will, that really move the needle or Jon Jones, who gets paid a little more but delivers more in return,” Shapiro said. “It’s a scale and a formula, and we’re very transparent about it with our fighters and our superstars.”
