Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White, 53, was asked about UFC fighters’ salaries in a recent interview with GQ. Specifically, the question was, “Why do you think people seem to talk about UFC fighter pay?”

“Listen, there aren’t too many things you could talk s–t about the UFC about,” White answered. “If you look at what we’ve done with the business in the last 22 years, it’s incredible, never been done, ever. (Look at) the things that we’ve done in the fight business. You always have to have something to bitch about, I guess, and fighters always wanna make more money. Boxing has absolutely been destroyed because of money and all the things that go on.”

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“It’s never gonna happen while I’m here, believe me, these guys get paid what they’re supposed to get paid,” White said of UFC fighters. “They eat what they kill. They get a percentage of the pay-per-view buys and the money is spread out amongst all the fighters.”

“If you don’t like it, there’s a simple solution to this problem,” the UFC president added. “Go start your own MMA organization. (There are) no barriers to entry. Knock yourself out. Pay ’em whatever you wanna pay ’em. It’s been done before. How’s it worked out for other guys? Not well. Mind your business.”

Founded in 1993, the UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. White was installed as the mixed martial arts promotion’s president when siblings Lorenzo Fertitta and Frank Fertitta III acquired it for $2 million in January 2001.

Conor McGregor, 34, of Dublin, Ireland is one of the highest paid active UFC fighters. Having headlined five out of the six highest selling UFC pay-per-view (PPV) events, he is the biggest PPV draw in MMA history.

Undefeated MMA fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov, 33, of Dagestan, Russia was also one of the highest paid UFC fighters before his retirement in 2020. On October 6, 2018, he submitted McGregor via neck crank at “UFC 229” in Las Vegas.