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'$50,500 And Venom Bag'- Dana White’s Claims To Raise Fighter Pay Mocked by Paulo Costa

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Ameetosh Dash | Last updated Aug 19, 2025 10:00 AM ET

A few days ago, Dana White shocked the entire global MMA community after officially announcing the UFC’s brand-new broadcasting deal with Paramount and CBS. The groundbreaking deal is valued at a massive $7.7 billion for seven years, making it historically one of the biggest in combat sports. The head honcho was extremely proud of securing this monumental agreement, highlighting increased revenue generation.

However, its connection with fighters remains significantly concerning. Following the massive broadcasting deal, all top-tier UFC events, including its 13 numbered events and 30 Fight Night events, will officially be streamed live on Paramount+ for just $12.99 monthly with no extra cost.

This means that the pay-per-view buys will become redundant, which are a major source of income for top fighters via pay-per-view points added to their base pay. As expected after the announcement, many fans and analysts instantly raised serious questions regarding the deal’s impact on UFC bonuses. While addressing the situation humorously, Paulo Costa delivered a hilarious comment that quickly caught attention.

I wish (UFC would increase bonus) but I don’t know. Maybe they’re going to raise the bonuses by $500. $50,500 and a Venom bag.
Paulo Costa via The Ariel Helwani Show

For many years, the UFC has maintained the traditional $50,000 award bonus for fighters, never raising despite increasing company valuation. Even though the organization’s overall revenue and brand value have drastically risen, the fighter bonus remained stagnant. During UFC 300, White made a rare exception by surprisingly raising the performance bonus amount to a massive $300K.

"Maybe they're going to raise the bonuses by $500.

$50,500 and a Venom bag." – @BorrachinhaMMA pic.twitter.com/hbHnfRucUN
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) August 18, 2025

However, the Bossman quickly clarified afterward that such a significant increase was only temporary, and future bonuses would remain unchanged going forward. He argued that fighters lacked true conviction to chase finishes. Therefore, bigger rewards would not necessarily guarantee additional excitement. However, this has always remained a subject of criticism for the promotion, and going forward, they have a chance to change that.

Paulo Costa warns Dana White following the result of UFC 319

The main event of UFC 319 featured Khamzat Chimaev finally capturing the middleweight championship after decisively defeating Dricus Du Plessis . ‘Borz’ dominated DDP completely, controlling the cage and systematically dismantling him for five exhausting rounds, getting a unanimous decision. Chimaev secured an incredible 21 minutes of control time, completely neutralizing DDP’s strengths and asserting dominance with relentless pressure.

Despite landing an astonishing total of 529 strikes and three crucifix holds, Chimaev failed to secure a finish, frustrating many passionate fans. Some sections of the MMA community accused the championship fight of being boring due to a lack of a knockout or submission. Watching the fight, Paulo Costa was disappointed and shared it in his latest interview with Ariel Helwani.

This is a show. This is entertainment. The Ariel Helwani Show. This kind of fight, and fighter, has a lot of potential to kill this business. This surprised me after, because at the press conference after the fight, Dana [White] was [saying], ‘OK, he did amazing.’ No, he didn’t, man. He did horrible. This is horrible for the watchers. This is not good. People will watch something else. They will not watch these guys hugging each other for 25 minutes.
Paulo Costa via The Ariel Helwani Show

Despite criticism from fans, top veterans like Robert Whittaker and Demetrious Johnson openly defended Chimaev’s performance, praising his unmatched dominance. However, fans still expected much more from Chimaev, considering his violent past performances, where finishes came quickly with devastating power.

Nevertheless, Costa has boldly called out Chimaev for a potential title showdown, seeking to finally settle their ongoing beef. Both fighters have exchanged trash talk for a very long time, building intensity that could definitely sell a massive pay-per-view. However, given Costa’s recent loss, securing an immediate title shot opportunity against Chimaev certainly appears very difficult.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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