UFC president Dana White isn’t shocked that Jorge Masvidal isn’t fighting for the welterweight championship.
Masvidal (35-13 MMA, 12-6 UFC) long was thought to be the next challenger for 170-pound champion Kamaru Usman. The two had been jawing at each other on social media, had their own in-person scuffles, and there was extensive reporting of a championship showdown in the works.
However, negotiations between the UFC and Masvidal went south, with Masvidal expressing his discontent publicly and saying he was being offered less money than his last bout against Nate Diaz at UFC 244.
So instead, the UFC gave Gilbert Burns, who recently defeated former champion Tyron Woodley, the title shot at UFC 251 next month. The change of title challenger caught many off guard but not White.
“It’s not a surprise,” White told reporters Friday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. “I mean, this is what we do. We’ve been doing this for 20 years. People who want to fight get fights, and people who don’t, don’t.
“And (Burns is) the No. 1 ranked guy in the world. No. 1 vs. the champion. And this kid wants to stay busy. These kids who come out and go on runs like Burns is on and want to keep fighting and stay active, they’re healthy, it’s the smartest thing they can do. And it doesn’t surprise me that Masvidal … Masvidal is very much like the Diaz brothers. He beats to the sound of his own drum. When he wants to do something, he does it. It’s not very surprising at all.”
The public discord between Masvidal and the UFC has been one of the biggest stories in combat sports in recent weeks. It’s similar to the ongoing situation with Jon Jones, recently retired Henry Cejudo, and others who have voiced their discontent with their income.
Reports estimate the UFC shares 20 percent of the revenue with its fighters, which is far less than other major sports leagues the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball, which all are at or close to a 50/50 split. White says it’s business as usual and nothing new to the fight game.
“Listen, I’m putting on fights every weekend for the next 10 years,” White said. “If you want to fight, call us. We’ll offer you fights, and if you don’t want to take them, you don’t have to. It’s always been that way.
“Everybody’s acting like this is some new (expletive) drama that just popped up, and this has never happened before in the history of the sport. This happens all the time, non-stop.”
When asked if there’s room for future negotiations about sharing more revenue with fighters, White said fighter compensation complaints are normal. He didn’t give specific numbers on what fighters make but said they’re compensated well.
“There’s a lot of new people covering us,” White said. “There’s a lot of new people that don’t know a lot about the sport. That’s new. This isn’t new. This is the same old sh*t. And all these fighers that are (unhappy), they share in the revenue. They do share in the revenue. They have the upside on the pay-per-view. And guys that sell pay-per-view make a lot of money.”
