Eddie Hearn has expressed admiration for Dana White's UFC pay model, a topic that has sparked much debate over the years.
Recently, the UFC inked a whopping $7.7 billion deal with Paramount. With the first event under this new partnership on the horizon, fans were hopeful that fighter pay might see an increase as part of the new broadcast agreement.
Just days before UFC 324 in Las Vegas, the UFC announced to the Sports Business Journal that it would boost its post-fight bonuses - one for Fight of the Night and two for Performance of the Night - from $50,000 to $100,000. In addition, they unveiled plans to offer $25,000 bonuses to any fighter who secures a knockout or submission victory, provided they don't receive the aforementioned bonuses.
In light of this ongoing discussion, Hearn shared his enthusiasm for the current model with Ariel Helwani. "As a business, it's incredible that they can get their talent to fight for those numbers, given the revenue the show generates. You're telling me you're generating $50 million in revenue and the main event fighters are getting $750k to $1 million? Or whatever the actual figure is. What a business. Wow," he remarked, reports All Out Fighting.
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It comes just days after Eddie Hearn hinted at a potential clash between Dana White's two promotions. The pair have been at each other's throast in recent times and continue to lock horns. This follows the UFC boss's foray into boxing with Zuffa Boxing, backed by Turki Alalshikh.
Despite the new alliance, the Matchroom head honcho remains unfazed, though he suspects some UFC fighters might not be as calm. Hearn, 46, is convinced that UFC stars might reconsider their positions once they realise how much more White's boxers are earning. "I think one of the really interesting things when I look at the business is going to be how the UFC talent roster reacts to the amount of money that these guys are paying fighters," Hearn revealed on iFL TV.
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He pointed out the disparity using UFC 324 as an example: "You've got Paddy the Baddy against Justin Gaethje at T-Mobile [Arena] on Saturday. Paramount is paying huge licensing fees. Yet, Paddy and Justin are making considerably less than a fighter that is nowhere near the draw or bringing nowhere near the commercial revenue that they are."
While it seemed like Eddie Hearn was drawing parallels between UFC 324 and Zuffa's inaugural event featuring Callum Walsh and Carlos Ocampo, he clarified his stance. He was actually contrasting some of UFC's top stars with Zuffa's recent signing, Jai Opetaia.
"I know what Jai's pay-per-view numbers were in Australia. Then you got these guys selling out the T-Mobile [Arena] and getting tens of millions of dollars in licensing fees... I think it's fascinating what's going to happen. I think there will be a revolt from the UFC fighters. I think they'll be thinking, 'Why are we making so much less than the boxers when the show and the business and the revenue is so much higher?'"
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