Mark Shapiro has addressed fighter pay concerns just a few months into the UFC’s new $7.7 billion deal.
Near the end of 2025, the premier MMA promotion announced that following a hugely successful deal with ESPN, they were putting an end to PPV’s by signing a deal with Paramount.
With the deal being worth $7.7 billion, fans and fighters were excited for the new era, and especially how it would pertain to fighter pay.
Despite that, just a few months into the new deal, the President and Chief Operating Officer of TKO Group Holdings, Mark Shapiro has addressed concerns regarding fighter pay.
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Mark Shapiro expects an increase in fighter pay
Prior to the first UFC event of the year, UFC 324, Dana White announced that post-fight bonuses would be increased to $100,000 from $50,000, with all fighters who score a finish being awarded with an additional $25,000.
And although that may have seemed to be the only increase to the fighter pay structure, Shapiro said at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference, that he expects fighter pay to increase.
“As it relates to fighter pay or superstar pay on the WWE side, our margins last year on adjusted EBITA (earnings before interest, taxes and amortization) (at) 33.5 percent.
“We’ve announced at the mid-point of our guidance we’re going to be roughly 39.6 percent so 40 percent and that margin is inclusive of increase in fighter and superstar pay and we take that very seriously.
“Right out of the gate… Dana White doubled the performance bonuses for fighters. We’re talking eight figures. One by one, we’ll be looking at this… But whatever increases we have – and we will have increases – they are inclusive of the margin guidance we have targeted.”
Fighter pay has come under scrutiny especially recently
If fighter pay wasn’t already something that was consistently scrutinized, Zuffa Boxing’s recent $15 million signing of Conor Benn only heightened that.
Following his signing, former UFC champion Sean O’Malley questioned it, claiming that he doesn’t even know who Benn is.
UFC welterweight contender Michael Page also shared his extremely disappointed reaction to the news, questioning why UFC fighters aren’t provided the same luxury, when they are the ones who have helped build Dana White’s reputation.
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