MMA Stars Rip Dana White to Shreds Over UFC Pay and No Health Care

It all unfolded when social media star Jake Paul in a public row with Dana White, centered his rants around the unfair treatment received by the UFC fighters and clamored for better health care in the long term and increased salary.

Paul also previously stated he received a lot of accolades from fighters in the promotion who support his claims while also keeping their names confidential.

A few months after his claims, multiple fighters have come out of their shell to throw shades at the division over their unfair treatment. Currently sidelined with an injury, Francis Ngannou, who has always been in an altercation with the promotion, was the first of many not to hold back their thoughts, most notably after his title defense win over Cyril Gane. 

Fighters Reveal Discontent Over Unfair UFC Treatment

Ahead of UFC 274, the latest fighters to call out the promotion are a trio of Tony Ferguson, Paddy Pimblett, and Anderson Silva, with famous journalist Ariel Helwani also dropping his take on the abysmal treatment received from the promotion.

The UFC veteran Ferguson has been subject to Dana White"s maltreatment and, in a previous press conference, accused Micheal Chandler, who is to be his opponent this weekend, of enjoying the ‘Dana white privilege.’ In a build-up to his fight this weekend, the American took to the media to reiterate his claims while brutally laying into the UFC chief.

"But, what I did was I felt good for my company, I wanted to be the man, I wanted to make sure everyone knew I could do this stuff without anybody else’s help. So, that is a little bit of a chip on my shoulder, to keep coming here and smiling and being used on the poster and to have that high value. When I saw the UFC didn’t think my value was that high, I had to increase it in other ways which were through social media."- Ferguson said in a conference.

Ferguson, just like Ngannou, also pointed out the promotions restriction on competing in other sports as a setback, and Ariel Helwani took the veteran"s side in a public rant.

“When you start to hear of more stories, it"s heartbreaking. And I don"t know how you can feel any other way. I don"t know how you can ignore that when you see a guy like Tony Ferguson who"s given so much to the sport, who"s been dealt a bad hand a few times over the years and that"s being kind, feel like that towards the tail end of his run, it"s not the way it should be. And it"s becoming a lot more of the norm than it should be. It"s not an anomaly, he"s not an anomaly and that bums me out"- Helwani said on the MMA HOUR.

Arguably one of the best fighters to ever grace the promotion, Anderson Silva also lambasted the promotion over his disrespect, wrong pay structure, and how they treated his situation after surpassing his prime.

He revealed his biggest purse came in his 2021 exhibition boxing debut and was also furious over the UFC"s willingness to destroy the fighters" profiles after their disposal despite their commitment during their times with the promotion. 

"That’s the problem for the people in this sport, especially UFC because UFC doesn’t respect the legacy that fighters have.They try to use you and kick you out, And when you’re out, they try to destroy your career [so] you don’t fight anywhere. This happened [to] a lot of fighters. People don’t think about that. I had a good time in UFC, and bad times too. The bad time for me is the experience I have behind the scenes. But inside the cage, inside the fight, I do my best. It’s the only time I have control. Outside I don’t have control."- Anderson Silva stated as reported by Sportsnaut

Paddy ’The Baddy’ Prioritizes Money over UFC Legacy

The whole drama ongoing in the UFC seems to have harmed the rising stars as upcoming prospect Paddy Pimblett has revealed his disinterest in taking bigger fights and better-ranked names in the UFC if it doesn"t come along with increased pay.

"I make more money outside the octagon and it makes me laugh when people are commenting on my stuff and things saying, ‘He’s not active enough. He doesn’t fight enough. He should be fighting four times a year,’" Pimblett said on Food Truck Diaries. "Why? Why should I fight four times a year? Give me a reason when I’m earning more outside the cage than I am in it."

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