The UFC has faced prolonged criticism regarding fighter pay, and a recent report by Anton Tabuena and John S. Nash of BloodyElbow sheds light on the promotion’s questionable negotiation tactics. What’s even more disconcerting is the apparent celebration by top UFC figures, including CEO Dana White, over victories that come at the expense of the fighters who contribute to their profits.
In the past week, revelations from exchanges between White, former UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, and ex-matchmaker Joe Silva surfaced as part of a class action lawsuit filed by a group of past and present fighters, including Cung Le and Jon Fitch. Bloody Elbow obtained numerous newly unsealed emails and text messages that expose the UFC’s dubious business practices.
Moreover, one instance highlighted in the lawsuit involves the UFC using a controversial contract clause to prevent Gilbert Melendez, the former Strikeforce and WEC lightweight champion, from moving to Bellator. Additionally, text messages revealed in the lawsuit show Dana White congratulating Lorenzo Fertitta for executing what he described as a “cut throat and nasty business” move by blocking Melendez’s transition to Bellator.
This diverted the fans’ attention toward an incident where even UFC legend Brock Lesnar accepted that he should have gotten paid more during his time at the UFC. “Dana’s all right. I’ve got a lot of money from him. I probably should have gotten paid more, maybe.” – said Lesnar on The Pat McAfee Show.
Moreover, fight fans would acknowledge the fact that Lesnar is one of the oldest superstars in the world of mixed martial arts and is responsible for some of the biggest PPV events in the history of the promotion.
Leaked emails show that even Nate Diaz got lowballed by Dana White and the UFC
The unsavory details of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) are being exposed through document releases related to the anti-trust lawsuit brought by former fighters against the mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. So, in a recent motion filed as part of the Le v. Zuffa case, private emails from former UFC matchmaker Joe Silva to President Dana White and owner Lorenzo Fertitta were disclosed.
Everything Nate Diaz has done in opposition to the UFC has and will always be justified pic.twitter.com/2RL5oohrRA
— Kairos (@KAIROSMMA2) December 2, 2023
Additionally, these emails outline Silva’s tactics of offering a lowball contract to Nate Diaz and his readiness to relegate the Stockton fighter to a “Prelims” undercard against a formidable opponent if he didn’t accept the deal. Lastly, Nate Diaz left the UFC recently and is currently a free agent. His most recent appearance was in a boxing ring against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.