Anderson Silva DEFENDS Dana White and the UFC over pay issues but admits he has a problem with the president talking about fights that ‘have never been in MMA in his life’.
- Anderson Silva has left the UFC and is now competing in boxing
- The former champion will next face Jake Paul in his October bout
- Many UFC fighters, past and present, have criticized promotion over fighter pay
- But Silva points out that it’s a deal and fighters don’t have to sign contracts
- However, he took offense at White’s commenting on the fighters’ performances
Anderson Silva has weighed in on the issue of paying UFC fighters and defended his former employers and Dana White.
The promotion has drawn a lot of criticism, especially in recent years, with athletes wanting more money for their efforts.
But Silva, 47, who is now gearing up to fight Jake Paul in a boxing match after leaving the UFC in 2020, thinks fighters need to, and rather can, take more responsibility for their actions managers blame the UFC for any shortfalls in wages.
Anderson Silva, pictured here taking on Jake Paul, defended the UFC over pay
Dana White and the UFC have faced criticism from some fighters over pay
He told the MMA Hour: “It’s two things, Jake and his brother [Logan] trying to draw attention to something very important. On the other hand, when you come to UFC, you have your manager, you have your team, and you have business to attend to, right?
“Your manager, your attorney and your team have to take care of this part of the business because you don’t have time to focus on it.
“My personal opinion, of course the UFC can pay fighters better. Especially a few fighters who are doing something very, very incredible within the UFC and making the UFC name strong and powerful. Do more [respect] for the brand.
“But it’s all about, talk to your manager, have a good thing behind you to protect you so you don’t sign anything you don’t like in the future.
Silva has since left the UFC but is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time
“A lot of very talented fighters sign something very crazy because the manager doesn’t care about the fighters. It’s all about numbers and money and that’s the problem.”
Silva had a point of contention with White, saying he believed it wasn’t the President’s job to criticize fighters for their performances when he wasn’t qualified to do so, as he had never competed in MMA.
He continued, “My issue with Dana is [when he] talks about fights because Dana has never fought MMA in his life. That’s my problem when he says, ‘You can’t do that, you can’t do that, you’re not fighting properly.’
“No, no, no, that’s my only problem with Dana. I think Dana is a good person. Everyone’s talking about Dana, “He’s no good blah blah blah.” He’s a good person, but he’s a businessman.
The Brazilian has never had a problem with his salary in the UFC and now competes in lucrative boxing matches against the likes of Tito Ortiz (left), whom he knocked out
“UFC isn’t getting to that point now as a big, big company in the world where people are like, ‘I did something, I’m sorry fighter, I did something wrong.’ No, the company grew up because hustlers do something and that’s the game. You are in or not. You can sign or not sign.’
Silva is a UFC legend and is considered one of the greatest fighters of all time. His departure from the organization was undignified, winning just one of his last nine bouts.
But the Brazilian has since added another chapter to his career, beating Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Tito Ortiz in the boxing ring to set up his clash with Paul.
