Dana White eyes up ludicrous $10billion deal days after huge sponsorship sum offered to all UFC fighters
Photo by Zach Rowlandson on Unsplash
Dana White, the UFC’s chief executive, is already looking toward a new, far‑larger partnership even as the promotion’s fighters receive a fresh sponsorship offer. The mixed‑martial‑arts organization has recently signed a seven‑year media rights deal with Paramount that will bring in $7.7 billion, or roughly $1.1 billion a year, until 2032. Yet White told listeners on the *Diary of a CEO* podcast that he wants “$10 billion after we get out of this deal.”
White’s comments came just days after the online crypto casino Gamdom sent an open letter to every UFC athlete, offering each fighter $10 000 a month—equivalent to an annual $120 000 sponsorship package—in the midst of ongoing pay‑related tensions. The UFC has long been grappling with questions about fighter compensation, a topic that has been spotlighted by interviews with former champions such as Tyron Woodley and the recent revelations that Bobby “King” Green is currently homeless.
In framing the UFC’s financial standing, White compared the organization to the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL, all of which command multi‑billion media contracts. He noted that the NFL’s $9 billion annual deal and the NBA’s $7 billion yearly agreement are comparable to the UFC’s current Paramount contract, and that the UFC’s revenue potential could push the promotion toward a $10 billion valuation once the Paramount deal concludes.
While the UFC’s fighters average a salary of about £401,000, White’s focus on higher‑tier media rights deals underscores a strategy aimed at elevating the sport’s profile and revenue streams, even if the immediate financial benefit to individual athletes remains limited.
