Conor Benn is staying with Dana White. Unisba Media reported Thursday that Benn has re-signed with Zuffa Boxing, under a headline that opened with “He’s Gone And Done It.” The report didn’t include terms, an opponent or a date for his next fight, so for now the news is simply that Benn has put his name on another Zuffa deal.
The interesting part is what his first one did to everyone else. Bloody Elbow reported that White paid Benn $15 million to box Regis Prograis earlier this year. Benn’s next fight went badly, with Ryan Garcia knocking him out. Bloody Elbow also noted that Benn has never won a major title. A fighter without a belt, coming off a stoppage loss, getting another contract from the same people who sign the checks for UFC champions is exactly the kind of thing that keeps a pay fight going.
And there is a pay fight. UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland, who won the belt for the second time in May by upsetting Khamzat Chimaev, has gone public with his frustration and is refusing to face Nassourdine Imavov until his money changes, according to Bloody Elbow. Online rumors, which Bloody Elbow described as circulating, put Strickland at $400,000 to show and $400,000 to win. Essentially Sports reported that Strickland has repeatedly brought up Benn’s $15 million number. He has also pointed to reports that Conor McGregor earned $30 million for his 69-second loss to Max Holloway at UFC 329.
White isn’t moving. Speaking after Week 10 of Season 10 of Dana White’s Contender Series, he said Strickland signed a new contract in May and disputed the figures the champion has floated. “The number that he claimed he made is not true,” White said. Strickland reportedly has five fights left on that deal and has said he’d give up the belt and move to 205 for an easier cut.
Meanwhile, Zuffa Boxing keeps adding names. MMA Mania reported that the promotion signed WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames (25-1-1, 18 knockouts, four title defenses), announced on Oct. 13. He joins Jai Opetaia, the WBA and The Ring cruiserweight champion who also holds the Zuffa division title, and Shakur Stevenson, who holds the WBO and The Ring junior welterweight titles. Benn is on that list too, and he’s the only one MMA Mania named without a belt.
A Yahoo Sports column this week laid out why that matters to the UFC side of the building. With pay-per-view gone, a UFC champion’s money is fixed in advance. Champions get $42,000 in Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay per fight, and challengers get $32,000. The column argued that champions reading about TKO paying McGregor or Benn vast sums have good reason to feel stuck, because nothing in their contracts gives them a path to that kind of payday.
My take is that Benn’s re-signing is fine business for a boxing promotion that wants a recognizable British name on its cards. It’s also the worst possible look for the UFC’s pay structure. Every time Benn’s name shows up next to a Zuffa contract, Strickland has fresh ammunition, and he isn’t the only one paying attention. At UFC Vegas 122 last Saturday, top middleweight contender Brendan Allen said “we are underpaid” while backing Strickland. Moments later, according to Bloody Elbow, he apologized to UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell.
