Former UFC heavyweight Travis Browne has slammed fighters on the current UFC roster for "crying" about fighter pay.
Browne spent seven years fighting in the UFC before being cut in 2017 after suffering four consecutive losses.
Since Browne's UFC exit, the debate over fighter pay has been led by heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, former champion Miesha Tate and most recently Jared Cannonier.
Top fighters such as Conor McGregor and Jon Jones have also clashed with the promotion in the past over pay issues.
But Browne thinks fighters know what they are signing up for when they agree to fight.
He said on the Tough Business podcast: "You guys always paid me what you said you were gonna pay me, and most of the time, it was actually more.
"So, all these people that are complaining about it, that are just talking s*** about it, at the end of the day, I’m the one that signed that f****** contract. And then I’m gonna turn around and bitch about it?
"Or I'm gonna bitch about it to a f****** reporter or something like that?
"That doesn’t make sense to me as a man. I signed a contract. If I wanted to get paid more, and you guys have always been upfront about it. ‘Hey, if you’re a free agent, go find a better deal.’ I’ve always felt like I was part of the UFC."
Browne is the husband of former UFC champion Ronda Rousey, who was the first female fighter to sign for the UFC back in 2012.
Rousey was one of the UFC's biggest stars and made a career switch to professional wrestling when signed for the WWE in 2017.
Browne went on to discuss the UFC’s business model of building up their brand over a single fighter and as UFC president Dana White explained, it benefits the entire roster.
He said: "It works both ways. Cause what happens is, when somebody comes in and they start working their way up in the UFC, the brand builds them up and turns them into stars.
Are UFC fighters being underpaid? Comment below
"Then once you have the brand plus Chuck Liddell, the brand plus Matt Hughes, the brand plus Ronda Rousey, the brand plus Conor McGregor… it’s powerful for everybody. It’s a very incredible relationship when you have both, the brand plus the star."
And despite complaints from fighters on the roster, Browne said the promotion always treated him fairly.
He continued: "You guys have always treated me right. The pay has been there, and again, it’s always been at least what the contract was, and most of the time it was more.
"So these people that are complaining, people in the media that don’t f****** hear that they hear the little b**** that’s crying and complaining. Because you get these, like, entitled people. Or I don’t know where the f*** it comes from.
"It’s like, they’re just whiny little b******, and then they go to more whiny little bitches that’ll write about it."
