"He's probably really worth $11 million" - Former UFC stars offer insight into Dana White's fighter contract dealings

Dana White was a topic of discussion on one of Daniel Cormier's latest YouTube videos. The UFC Hall of Famer was joined by a former fellow roster-mate and high-level wrestler in Ben Askren. The pair discussed the dynamics at the negotiations table between White and fighters aiming too high.

The topic arose from rising interest in Jon Jones' alleged fight purse demands to defend his heavyweight title against the division's interim champion, Tom Aspinall. This caused 'Funky' to highlight that some fighters price themselves out of certain fights by making unrealistic demands.

"Some of these guys are unreasonable. They're saying... Dana's thinking in his head, 'Okay, they're getting paid $5 million,' Dana's thinking, 'Okay, he's probably really worth $11 million.' I'm just throwing numbers out here, and the guy comes out and says, 'I want $25 million,' and then Dana's like, 'Oh, this is f*cking ridiculous.'"

Check out Ben Askren's thoughts on Dana White's negotiations with fighters (3:21):

The UFC CEO has been a staunch defender of the promotion's controversial pay structure, despite the rise in criticism it has drawn. His unwilligness to budge on certain demands led to the eventual departure of then reigning UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who later signed with the PFL on a monster contract.

Many also fear that White's unwillingness to pay fighters their demanded purse could hinder the booking of Jones vs. Aspinall, which is arguably the most anticipated matchup in 2025. However, the UFC CEO has been nothing but confident that the fight will get booked, imploring fans to ease their concerns.

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Dana White has also started a new boxing promotion with a similar pay structure

High-profile boxers, on average, earn significantly more money than even the highest-paid MMA fighters, with Conor McGregor at his peak being an exception. Thus, many have scratched their heads over Dana White's reported intention of replicating the UFC's pay structure with his new boxing league.

Given that he and Jon Jones were once part of a public dispute due to the latter's alleged demand to be paid similarly to heavyweight boxing knockout artist Deontay Wilder, it will be of great public interest to see exactly how boxers will be persuaded to sign with White's boxing league.