Paulo Costa recently pulled out of a main event fight with Jared Cannonier in protest at the UFC’s pay structure, which he branded “a disgrace”, claiming that a headliner should receive at least $350,000, but it seems that Dana White is anything but sympathetic to his cause.
“You’re mad?! You just came off a ridiculous, horrible performance!” White said on TSN. “Comeback, and put yourself in a position to do something big.”
White went on to point out that they’d only just recently extended Costa’s contract, but also made it clear that if he didn’t want to fight then he doesn’t have to.
“I think he did sign because we extended him, we extended his contract for (taking) the fight. But listen, don’t fight!” White said. “I have to offer you three fights a year. This is my situation with all these guys, I offer you three fights a year. He doesn’t have to fight, no problem, don’t fight.”
“Guess what? You should’ve started a YouTube channel when you were f—king 13 years old and built your name up and everything else and you could’ve had the fight on (Sunday) night. You’re not a f—king YouTuber, you’re a fighter and this is what you do for a living. Or you don’t, it’s up to you,” White continued. “And you’re in no position to be talking about crazy money after your last performance! Okay? You either want to fight or you don’t want to fight, no problem. If you don’t want to fight, you can hang out and do whatever you want, when you are ready, you let me know.”
Costa is not the only fighter who has become unsettled with the amount that the UFC pays it’s stars though, with Jake Paul having called the promotion out over the matter, which also seemed to strike a nerve with Francis Ngannou, who wondered aloud on Twitter, “what are we doing wrong?”, while the man everyone wants to see him fight, Jon Jones has been at loggerheads with the UFC brass for months over his purse for that potential superfight.
