Back in 2021, Jake Paul claimed that Conor McGregor is the most underpaid fighter in UFC history. Bizarre, right? But Paul’s logic was sound. If you consider the massive revenue the Irishman has brought in for the company, he is receiving a disproportionately small share and, therefore, could be the most underpaid fighter on the roster. Well, does McGregor agree?

At UFC London, fans expected Michael ‘Venom’ Page to put on a statement performance against fellow Brit Sam Patterson. And though the Englishman’s actual fight turned out to be an underwhelming 15-minute showdown, his walkout song grabbed plenty of attention, even receiving an approval from Conor McGregor for its apparent anti-establishment stance.

As his entrance music, ‘Venom’ chose the track “They Don’t Care About Us,” by the late pop star Michael Jackson, which immediately made fans realize that he was publicly taking a jibe at Dana White and the UFC brass amid the ongoing controversy surrounding fighter pay, something which McGregor appreciated.

“Michael Venom Page just walked out to ‘They Don’t Care About Us’ by Michael Jackson at UFC London after publicly criticizing Conor Benn’s $15 million Zuffa Boxing deal and UFC fighter pay,” ACD MMA posted on X during the UFC London broadcast. ‘The Notorious’ went on to like the post, backing ‘MVP’s bold claim.

For the unfamiliar, ‘Venom’ openly criticized the UFC’s current fighter pay system, particularly pointing out how fighters have missed out on more earning opportunities during the Paramount+ era. According to the British MMA star, while Dana White and Co. benefited from the massive $7.7 billion deal, fighters have received only a small portion of that revenue.

Moreover, ‘MVP’ also expressed frustration over how TKO reportedly paid boxing star Conor Benn $15 million for a single fight, a figure that might exceed the career earnings of several UFC fighters. Page was also unhappy about the lack of fights he was getting under the banner. He went from fighting former title challenger Jared Cannonier at middleweight last August to the unranked Sam Patterson at welterweight last night. Page is #13 at welterweight and unranked at middleweight.

However, while the English fighter has been very vocal about his concerns regarding UFC fighter pay, Conor McGregor hasn’t said much about the promotion’s current pay structure. Still, ‘The Notorious’ appears frustrated with the UFC for leaving him off the White House card.

In a recent interview with Chael Sonnen, the former two-division champion opened up about his disappointment over not fighting Michael Chandler at the UFC White House event, calling the entire situation “heartbreaking.” So it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that even though both fighters have separate grievances, they are clearly unhappy with the direction things seem to be heading in under Dana White. So, that could be one reason why Conor McGregor showed support for ‘MVP’s protest.

Now, as the pushback against the UFC’s fighter pay system continues to grow, a prominent UFC personality has also added his voice to the conversation, and that could potentially change the game.

Joe Rogan opens up on UFC fighters’ pay issue

Even though UFC fighter pay has been a hot topic for many years, this year the conversation picked up a different momentum thanks to one woman, Ronda Rousey. The former UFC bantamweight champion is set to make her much-awaited return on May 16 against Gina Carano under Jake Paul’s MVP banner. But before stepping back into the cage, ‘Rowdy’ stirred the pot by going all guns blazing against the UFC, accusing the promotion of exploiting its fighters.

Since then, Rousey has received some backing for her bold claims. Still, few expected that UFC color commentator Joe Rogan would end up supporting her stance against the company he has worked with for more than two decades.

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“She had this big, long speech about the UFC for $7 billion, and these fighters aren’t making enough money. Look, she made some good points,” Rogan said on a JRE MMA Show #176 with Dustin Poirier. “The most important thing is she gets the conversation out there, and it puts pressure on the UFC to pay people more.

“If Netflix can become successful at MMA, if they can become successful at putting cards together and pulling fighters away – like, right now they’re doing a one-off. It’s crazy money, but if anybody’s got that kind of money, it’s Netflix. They throw around a lot of ridiculous money. They make so much money. So they can kind of do that,” he added.

Many might find Rogan’s take surprising. However, the fact remains that the longtime UFC commentator has often supported the idea of fighters earning more. He has even compared it to his own comedy club model, where he reportedly gives comedians around 80 percent of the revenue from shows held at his establishment.

That said, as the pushback against the UFC’s fighter pay system becomes more noticeable, the big question remains: could this finally lead to meaningful change? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.