Dana White's UFC-style fighter pay promise for TKO's new boxing endeavor might have backfired, says MMA analyst: "Engaging in predatory practices"

Dana White is widely blamed for the UFC's controversial pay structure, and his promise to implement the same system in the new boxing league he founded with Turki Alalshikh has drawn criticism from veteran MMA analyst Luke Thomas. While previewing UFC 313, Thomas touched on numerous topics.

Among the topics he addressed was White's adherence to the UFC's pay structure and his intention to implement it in his latest boxing venture. Thomas, however, feels that doing so will lead to drawbacks.

"Dude, did you see the Sportico article today, where the editor, he seemed to regret it in hindsight, but at the time, he was tweeting a quote and being like, 'This is an amazing quote.' And Dana was like, 'Yeah, just like we do in MMA, where we make this money and we kick back the fighters all these revenue streams, we're going to do the same in boxing.'"

It is at this point that Thomas deepens his criticism of the article in question for its apparent flattery of White's thoughts on the preliminary pay structure for his new boxing league.

"And he's like, 'What an amazing quote,' and I'm like, 'Dude, they're literally settling an antitrust, class-action lawsuit for a historically large sum for suppressing athlete wages and engaging in predatory practices and anti-competitive monopolization.' Like, what the f*ck are you talking about? And that wasn't even mentioned in the article at all."

Check out Luke Thomas criticizing Dana White's proposed boxing pay structure (1:52:37):

The UFC CEO is nothing but steadfast, however, and is unlikely to bend on his stance.

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Dana White's new boxing league has a ready-made star waiting for it

Tomorrow in the UFC 313 main event, light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira defends his title against Magomed Ankalaev, with whom he has developed an intense rivalry. If he manages to overcome the Dagestani star, 'Poatan' has expressed an interest in boxing Oleksandr Usyk.

Whether Dana White can secure the matchup is another matter entirely. However, Pereira would be the perfect face for White's new boxing league. He is a former Glory Kickboxing champion and appears to match up well with high-level boxers in the sparring footage he's shown.