""That narrative has been around since f*cking- I was hearing this sh*t about Chuck Liddell leaving and Georges St-Pierre. 'What are you going to do?' People nonstop talk sh*t," White said on the "IMPAULSIVE" podcast recently (h/t MMA Junkie). "You just started this interview talking to me about a $7.7 billion dollar TV deal. I could go through the metrics of this business from top to bottom, and I just told you that [Power] Slap guys have made $10 million over the last two years, and the list goes on and on.""
"And there, perhaps, is the problem. Dana White, an exec, is the most recognizable face of the UFC to this day. Not any one fighter, save perhaps McGregor, who might, might, have a fight or two left in him. It's Dana White showing up on Logan Paul's IMPAULSIVE podcast, not one of his stars. While Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev could be looked at as modern day GSP and Khabib's with strong regional followings, neither have hit those heights just yet."
Several high-profile fighters have retired, including Conor McGregor (inactive), Ronda Rousey, Brock Lesnar, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Questions persist about remaining superstar depth, yet the promotion posts robust business metrics, notably a $7.7 billion TV deal and significant athlete payouts like Power Slap competitors earning about $10 million over two years. Major leadership remains highly visible. Emerging champions such as Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev hold strong regional followings but have not yet reached the global stature of past icons. Other fighters have generated large single-event paydays outside the promotion.
Read at Cageside Press
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