Dana White and the UFC have always been criticized for the wages that they give to their fighters. While the top stars do get a lot of money, it is not the same case for all of the fighters. Furthermore, there are many fighters who have to do other part-time jobs along with their UFC career. However, a new report from the UFC anti-trust lawsuit document has now revealed the median payout from 2011-2016.
According to a report by Bloody Elbow, the median average UFC payout for 2011-2016 is $29,000. Furthermore, the lowest pay in this period was $4000 for a fighter competing in his third bout in 2011. These numbers are very disturbing coming from the top MMA organization. To add fuel to the fire, the MMA leaders made over $610 million in revenue during the first half of 2023.
Lawsuit documents obtained by Bloody Elbow showed the median UFC payout from 2011-2016:
$29,000
More info on the follow up below. pic.twitter.com/8NzgkBz1UW
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) November 15, 2023
According to the report, the highest-paid fighter in this time period is assumed to be Brock Lesnar with $8 million for a fight. This includes non-disclosed side deals and PPV sales. However, it is surprising to see some of the other UFC champions making way less than ‘The Beast Incarnate’. It is believed that top champions like Stipe Miocic, Junior Dos Santos, and Frank Mir couldn’t even touch the one million mark.
Furthermore, Brock Lesnar’s $8 million salary has made Conor McGregor’s payday look like it is nothing. Conor got paid way less for his fight against both Chad Mendes and Jose Aldo. According to the reports, ‘The Notorious One’ made around $3.28 million against Mendes and around $4.5 million against Aldo which is way less than what Lesnar made.
Conor McGregor’s payouts revealed in UFC court documents
$2,642,204 (includes $2.11M discretionary bonus) vs. Chad Mendes
$4,476,662 or $4,536,932 vs. Jose Aldo — Aldo received $2,377,699
$5,576,315 vs. Nate Diaz 1 — Diaz received $2,838,158, and the PPV event generated $61… pic.twitter.com/G5SLOAeDfz
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) November 2, 2023
Furthermore, these numbers can get Dana and his company in trouble. They have already taken a major loss in the anti-trust lawsuit.
UFC loses a huge battle in the anti-trust lawsuit war
Dana White and the UFC took a huge loss in their appeal to revoke the class action status from a group of mixed martial artists that are suing the company for subduing fighters’ pay via anti-competitive schemes to destroy their rivals. Furthermore, around 1200 fighters are included in this lawsuit against the MMA giants.
Since the appeal made by the UFC is now denied, the lawsuit will commence in April 2024. If the UFC loses this lawsuit, they will have to pay a sum between $800 million and $1.6 billion in compensation to all the 1,200 fighters. Furthermore, the median pay shown in the reports from the lawsuit heavily weighs in the favour of the fighters.
Thrilled to announce that the court in the UFC case has certified the class of mma fighters. We look forward to demonstrating our allegations that the UFC has abused its market power to suppress fighter pay before a jury in Las Vegas. The fight for fighter justice continues!
— Eric Cramer (@CramerEcramer) August 9, 2023
The anti-trust lawsuit was filed in the year 2014 by plaintiffs including former MMA fighters like Cung Le, Jon Fitch, and Brandon Vera among many others. According to the plaintiffs, since the UFC purchased its biggest rivals like Pride and Strikeforce, they have a monopoly in the field of mixed martial arts.
After more than eight years of struggle, the group of fighters was formally certified as a class by federal Judge, Richard Boulware on August 2023. However, the UFC filed an appeal to revoke this status but it was denied by the U.S. Court of Appeals.
Major news on UFC Class Action Lawsuit. pic.twitter.com/lTescj1ck2
— Erik Magraken (@erikmagraken) August 9, 2023
What do you think about the lawsuit? Will it change the MMA industry? Let us know in the comments section.