UFC’s fighter pay has been a matter of great contention for the Dana White-led company. Be it champions or otherwise, their paltry percentage of pay in the UFC’s profits has long been criticized. UFC champions headlining PPV events do not make nearly as much as their boxing counterparts. Dana White has always stated that when a fighter becomes a champion, they become a partner in the business. However, for Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, it couldn’t hold a candle to ONE FC.
Johnson recently sat down for an interview with UFC lightweight Renato Moicano. During the course of the session, Moicano flipped the roles and asked Johnson what he felt were the biggest differences between being a champion in One Championship and the UFC. And the Mighty Mouse didn’t hold back.
“I’ll tell you what the money is better. For me when Dana White says oh when you become a UFC champion you become a partner, I don’t believe that is true. But when I became a champion with One Championship, I felt like a partner. I just feel I have more of a say when I was a champion at One Championship than as when I was in the UFC.”
It is widely known that when a fighter becomes a champion, they share in the success of the PPVs. Champions get PPV points for the events they headline, which significantly increases their purse.
While this has made some fighters like Conor McGregor and Israel Adesanya extremely rich, there has been a marked discrepancy for others. Johnson, one of the greatest flyweight to ever walk the planet, had a completely different experience despite UFC Gold around his waist.
Demetrious Johnson’s Unambiguous Disdain for the UFC Business Model
Johnson was a UFC champion for the better part of a decade. During that time, he defended his title multiple times. That said, most of his title defenses were not on PPVs or as the main event, as Johnson reiterated.
Needless to say, the PPV points that Dana White is so proud of, Johnson saw none of it. However, at ONE FC, Johnson claims to have had a different experience, and not just over a bigger slice of the pie.
He stated that at ONE FC, the company reaches out to him and asks for his thoughts on his next opponent and the location for the fight, something he seemingly laments not being the case with the UFC. Of course, given the astounding circumstances he’s discussed, it’s only natural that he’s happier with his partnership with ONE FC.
