Dana White made it abundantly clear what he thought of his UFC servants, and mixed martial arts in its entirety, when he stuffed a reported $15m into the pocket of Conor Benn. Obsessed with his Zuffa Boxing venture and the civil war that is breaking out on the other side of the combat world, the UFC suddenly feels like a secondary project to its own president.
Benn, a big name in boxing but not yet at that elite level of worldwide marketability, is allegedly being paid this eye-watering fee - a number which White neither confirmed nor denied when probed in an interview with Piers Morgan - for one co-main event bout against Regis Prograis, a former two-time super-lightweight champion who is long past his prime and is fighting outside of his natural weight category. These contract terms do not exist in the UFC, even for its biggest, best and most beloved stars.
