Former UFC Champion Says Conor Benn $15 Million Deal Is Dana White Flex, Not Fair Pay. UFC flyweight king Demetrious Johnson has drafted Dana White for what he considers a $15 million “flex” on boxingno sustainable investment in martial arts talent. Johnson’s comments follow reports that Conor Benn has signed a one-fight deal with Zuffa Boxing worth $15 million for his debut under the UFC president’s new boxing venture. The number immediately sparked disbelief among top MMA fighters, but Johnson uses it to highlight a deeper structural imbalance between the way boxing and MMA fighters are paid.
Former UFC Champion Says Conor Benn $15 Million Deal Is Dana White Flex, Not Fair Pay
Johnson opened his criticism by highlighting the size of Benn’s payout: a single fight worth $15 million under the Zuffa Boxing banner. He said the deal, in his opinion, looks less like a long-term talent bet and more like a public statement from Dana White. “Honestly, I’m not going to lie to you guys. I really believe it’s a flexible move on Dana White’s part,” Johnson said, referring to White’s recent comments about boxing promoters being like “fighting babies.” Johnson wondered whether the $15 million would translate into long-term value for Zuffa, given the promotion’s current viewer profile.
“Honestly, I’m not going to lie to you. I really believe it’s a flexible move on Dana White’s part. As he said, if you’ve been following the headlines about him going to war with all the boxing promoters, he said it’s like fighting babies, and I quote, ‘Fighting babies.’ And you know, $15 million for one fight. It’s crazy.”
On the UFC side, Johnson argued that few fighters have ever approached that single-fight figure. He estimated that only a handful of UFC fights in history have reached anywhere near $15 million in disclosed pay, citing Jon Jones and Conor McGregor as the most obvious examples. Even then, he pointed out that the truly huge numbers often come from pay-per-view credits or long-term licensing deals, not a one-time roster guarantee. Against that backdrop, it felt “rough” to Johnson to see Benn — a solid welterweight but not a world champion or pound-for-pound elite — land a $15 million deal in one fight.
“If you think about how many times a UFC fighter has gotten that for one fight, you probably have to count it on your hands. It’s only happened maybe five times in UFC history. Probably just Conor McGregor and a few others – Jon Jones, that kind of thing.”
The structural difference that Johnson returns to is freedom of movement. In boxing, fighters can purchase offers from multiple promoters under frameworks like the Muhammad Ali Act, allowing them to request competitive bids for specific fights. That’s why he insisted Matchroom had the contractual right to match Benn’s $15 million offer – but had reportedly chosen not to. In MMA, on the other hand, most top fighters are locked into exclusive contracts with one promotion, with no real parallel system to push salaries through open bids. Johnson underlined that if he were to retire, he wouldn’t be able to shift a lucrative UFC-quality offer to another league because his contract would tie him to ONE Championship.
Another important point is transparency. Johnson noted that when Benn’s $15 million figure hit the press, it was widely repeated and apparently with White’s approval. In contrast, UFC fighters’ pay almost never appears in public documents or official statements. He suggested that opacity benefits the organization by preventing fighters from comparing numbers and bargaining collectively. “Why was Dana White excited for everyone to see that number the second time Connor Benn signed that contract?” Johnson asked, contrasting with UFC deals where even star-level earnings are hidden.
Johnson also linked the Benn deal to broader UFC wage complaints tied to the Paramount+ model. He was referring to fighters like Justin Gaethje, who has spoken publicly about rejecting contract terms that would have lowered his projected pay compared to the pay-per-view era. Gaethje and others have suggested that high-viewer Paramount+ cards could translate into much more revenue if they were structured like traditional PPV, but that structure no longer exists. Johnson argued that Dana White can afford a token $15 million in boxing because the UFC and WWE – both under TKO Group Holdings – generate enormous cash flow.
“There’s no one who makes $15 million for one fight in the UFC. I think the closest one is Jon Jones, when he asked for $30 million to fight Tom Aspinall and they were going to pay it. But he said, ‘No, I’m not doing it.’ Conor McGregor too. Maybe Anderson Silva on the day when there were no pay-per-view points, but that was a long time ago. And yet none of those guys are on the $15 million figure for one fight.
Ultimately, Johnson sees Benn’s payday as a hot spot for boxing promoters and, indirectly, UFC fighters. He contrasted Benn with UFC champions such as Islam Makhachev, Alex Pereira and other top prospects who continue in the promotion but are not considered to make $15 million per fight. Benn’s one-fight deal, he said, looks like a way to show boxing promoters what the financial power of TKO can do while doing relatively little to lift the ceiling for UFC athletes. Still, Johnson acknowledged that Zuffa Boxing could emerge as a real threat if White taps into the UFC’s star-making infrastructure in boxing, but remains skeptical that $15 million for one welterweight fight is a sign of lasting change.
“If Dana wants to dabble in boxing, fine. But if you’re willing to throw $15 million at a fighter, why not the UFC guys who are actually building the brand?”
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