Dana White vague on UFC fighter salary increases despite TV deal announcement

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Mathew Riddle | Last updated Aug 13, 2025 11:54 AM ET

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When Dana White and the UFC announced their new broadcast partnership with Paramount, set to begin in 2026, they alleged that the deal would be 'incredible' for their athletes.

The $7.7 billion, seven-year deal promises to inject hundreds of millions into the promotion, but will the fighters see their share? White has cleared the air somewhat in some new statements.

UFC Boss White alleged that the new deal will be 'incredible' for the fighters, but kept his stance vague on whether they'll see a standard increase in purses.

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Dana White gives nebulous answer on UFC fighter pay, confirms bonuses will increase

Talking at the Contender Series post-event presser on Tuesday night, White remarked, "When you do a deal like this, we were talking about how good it is for the fans, it's obviously good for the company, but it's incredible for the fighters.

"[...] Mathematically, you just figure that out. It's going to be incredible. [Since we bought UFC in 2001], fighter pay has gone up. Obviously, fighter pay will go up for this deal. Not just financially for the fighters, but the amount of exposure [they'll get]."

White didn't allude to any numbers, but did confirm bonuses are 'obviously' going up.

"The low-hanging fruit that's easy to answer: The bonuses are obviously going up," He remarked.

Bonuses have been a static $50,000 since their inception in 2006. However, due to inflation, bonuses from years ago have more buying power than they do now, despite the UFC turning $billions in revenue year-on-year.

Fighter salaries are also a contentious topic, and resulted in the UFC settling a class-action lawsuit for $375 million in 2024, where thousands of fighters were compensated for being underpaid from 2010 to 2016.

Dana White confirms Power Slap 'not involved' in new broadcast deal

Speaking with TMZ, White also confirmed Power Slap will not be headed to their new broadcast platforms. The slap contest promotion 'has its own deal.'

"No, no, no. No! [It won't be coming to Paramount/CBS], which is even crazier," White exclaimed. "Power Slap is not involved in this. Power Slap's got its own deal and its own thing going on."

Initially on Rumble, Power Slap moved to YouTube earlier this year. This was a result of UFC partnering with VeChain, a platform for tracking products and building applications, where they became the naming rights sponsor of Power Slap events.