The reportedly huge one-fight deal between Zuffa Boxing and Conor Benn has raised eyebrows over the past week.
UFC stars included Sean O’Malley have learned of the money Benn is allegedly being paid after being taken from under the nose of Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing. The deal will reportedly pay the English welterweight $15 million for a single fight, the kind of money that is unheard of for any UFC fighter not named Conor McGregor.
During an earnings call from TKO Group (parent company of UFC and Zuffa Boxing) this week, Mark Shapiro, president and COO of TKO, revealed that it’s not Zuffa paying Benn that kind of money. Rather, it is one of Zuffa’s partners, backed by Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Authority for Sports in Saudi Arabia.
“As you know, Sela is our partner in Zuffa Boxing, they are the financier. In addition to the year-long series of fight cards that will appear exclusively on Paramount+, we have described time and time again during these calls and conferences that we also plan to have approximately two to four super fights per year,” Shapiro said (h/t MMA junkie), using Canelo-Crawford as an example. “Part of this will be TKO promoting and/or selling the media rights, or of course additional compensation.”
“We at TKO and Sela jointly identified Conor Benn as someone we wanted for one of those super fights in 2026. That was it. One fight in 2026. Conor was a free agent. Dana White and Nick Khan went out in that order and signed Conor. Let me be clear: we signed him for just one fight. That’s all we’re talking about here. Now, of course, we’re hoping he’ll eventually fight in our fight.” Zuffa Boxing series exclusively on Paramount+, but for now this is just one fight. No different than what we did with Canelo [Alvarez] And [Terence] Crawford. No different than other super fights we plan with Sela.”
“I would add to the reported purse, which was approximately $15 million, that the reported purse – I am not confirming or denying – that Conor will be paid for this super fight in 2026 is not a TKO going out of pocket. Sela, led by our great partner Turki Alalshikh, is covering the purse. Again, no different than exactly what we did with the Canelo-Crawford fight.”
The UFC has long been under fire for its pay system, with novice fighters still earning just $10,000 to show, and another $10,000 if they win – the same minimum wage fighters earned a decade ago. And while top fighters make more, a guaranteed $15 million is essentially unheard of. Regardless of who foots the bill, the sport’s stars will likely continue to have a bone of contention when they see Benn’s wallet.
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