Another day. Another UFC fighter complaining about not being paid enough. It’s becoming more and more common to see fighters speaking out about fighter pay; this includes the likes of Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, Francis Ngannou, Tyron Woodley, Jorge Masvidal, Nate Diaz, Jeremy Stephens, Vitor Belfort, Paige VanZant, etc. The list seems never-ending and Sean O-Malley just joined their ranks and spoke about his displeasure with the UFC.
O’Malley is a rising star in the UFC and has become a fan favorite. He was one of the most anticipated fights of UFC 264 outside of the main event between McGregor vs Poirier and O’Malley spoke about his interactions with the UFC in regards to paying him for his performance against Kris Moutinho.
“I know you’re gonna be asking for a lot of money.’ No shit! I’m pulling fucking numbers, you can’t deny that,” O’Malley said. “Why do they have a problem paying someone what they’re worth? That shouldn’t be an issue. That should be, like – especially when I’m blowing up like that. Those last two fights, third-round finishes, handing out brain damage. You should be like, ‘Hell yeah, I’m gonna pay you a lot. You earned it.’ Dude, I was UFC 264.” via MMA Fighting.
YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul has been extremely vocal about the disservice Dana shows his fighters by not compensating them enough for their skills and talent.
He previously said, “Me and my brother have created this movement forward to help fighters reach their pay because if you’re in the UFC, your boss is Dana White and you’re like, ‘Hey I don’t think we’re getting paid fair’ because he’ll just cut you and throw you off to the side. And so what I’m doing, my movement forward is showing these fighters that you don’t need a promotion, you don’t need a promoter and you don’t need assigning to these longer deals.”
In July, the UFC signed a $175 million brand deal with Crypto.com and fighters will NOT get a direct cut of the deal. We’re bound to hear more and more disgruntled fighters speak out about fighter pay as this monstrous deal poured salt in the wound.
Related Blog: