Colby Covington Reveals Why Top UFC Stars Never Raise Their Voice on Fighter Pay Debate

Colby Covington (Image Credits: Imagn)

Colby Covington Reveals Why Top UFC Stars Never Raise Their Voice on Fighter Pay Debate

Originally posted on Total Pro Sports | By Sarthak Khanna | Last updated Mar 18, 2026 1:10 AM ET

Low pay for UFC fighters has been a topic of discussion for a while now. Many prominent names, including Justin Gaethje and Ronda Rousey, have called out Dana White and the promotion multiple times for this. The latest comments on the topic come from former Interim UFC Welterweight champion Colby Covington.

Recently, during a conversation with N3On, Covington stated that the primary reason the issue still persists is the presence of big UFC names like Ilia Topuria, Islam Makhachev, and Khabib Nurmagomedov. These fighters hold the biggest and most well-known platforms in the sport and have the power to influence this decision. However, they choose to remain silent.

Colby claims this is because these fighters do not struggle with low pay. While other fighters continue to get good pay in the promotion, Dana White provides these stars with massive paychecks, keeping them silent and satisfied. Their silence and failure to stand with fellow UFC fighters weaken their case.

“The thing is that those guys who would make the biggest influence, who have the biggest platform like Ilia, Islam, Khabib, those guys are getting paid so well they’re never gonna speak out against the UFC. Those guys are making $5–$10M a fight,” Covington stated.

Colby Covington says stars like Ilia, Islam and Khabib make $5–10M a fight

While talking about fighters coming together to raise their voice for better pay in the UFC, Colby Covington said:

“The thing is that those guys who would make the biggest influence, who have the… pic.twitter.com/fa2whUfEqF
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) March 18, 2026

As mentioned earlier, Covington is not alone in this fight against a fair pay. Apart from fans in the MMA community who have continuously spoken out about this issue, many prominent names have recently raised their voices. This includes Ronda Rousey, who spent her time in various promotions like WWE and UFC before finally joining Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions.

Before Colby Covington, Ronda Rousey Shared Brutal Remarks Regarding Low Pay for Fighters

Rousey is currently preparing for her next bout against Gina Carano. This will be her comeback fight and will stream live on Netflix on May 16, 2026. During a recent press conference, Rousey took a dig at Dana White and his promotion and stated, “The UFC is one of the worst places to go. Their champions like Valentina Shevchenko are selling pictures of their t****es on OnlyFans.”

She further noted that the promotion has recently secured significant funding and has even seen revenue growth. Still continuing to offer low pay to the fighters doesn’t make any sense to Ronda. “They just got $7.7 billion. There’s no reason they can’t pay their athletes,” Rousey added.

While many people voice their views on the issue, Dana White and the promotion continue to deny that the pay structure is unfair. Unfortunately, as of now, there is no other option left but to wait. As of now, the debate shows no signs of ending in the near future.

This article first appeared on Total Pro Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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