Key Highlights:
- UFC CEO Dana White expressed frustration over top champions competing only once or twice annually, pointing directly to financial comfort as the primary cause.
- White singled out stars Islam Makhachev, Khamzat Chimaev, and Ilia Topuria as fighters who fight sparingly compared to active competitors like Alex Pereira, Alexander Volkanovski, and Merab Dvalishvili.
- Fighter scheduling tensions come amid lucrative business developments, including the UFC’s seven-year, $7.7 billion broadcast rights agreement with Paramount.
Dana White Addresses Champion Activity and UFC Scheduling Frustrations
UFC CEO Dana White has voiced strong dissatisfaction with the scheduling patterns of several high-profile roster stars. White’s frustration recently surfaced following Islam Makhachev’s decision not to defend his belt against Carlos Prates at UFC 336. The situation prompted the longtime promoter to offer a candid evaluation regarding why some of mixed martial arts’ biggest draws are stepping into the Octagon far less frequently than previous generations of titleholders.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, White directly attributed the sporadic schedules of certain marquee names to their personal financial security. Addressing the issue plainly, White analyzed the psychological shift that occurs once fighters reach elite earning status:
“I think the reason guys like Makhachev, Chimaev, and Topuria fight once a year is money. Once you start making a lot of money, you no longer need to fight as much. When they’re young and hungry, they need to fight a lot because they want their paycheck, but once they have enough money, that changes. I would like champions to fight at least twice a year,”
Contrasting Philosophies: High Activity vs. Selective Appearances
The fighting frequency across the current championship landscape highlights two distinctly different approaches to career management. On one end stands light heavyweight sensation Alex Pereira, who consistently prefers competing two or three times every year despite cementing his status and financial legacy. Similarly, White highlighted veteran champions like Alexander Volkanovski and Merab Dvalishvili as preferred models of activity. Even at 38 years old during his second championship reign, Volkanovski routinely defends his belt multiple times a year. Meanwhile, Dvalishvili maintained an extraordinarily dense schedule, defending his title four times in 2025 before dropping the strap to Petr Yan in December.
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Conversely, fighters such as Islam Makhachev, Ilia Topuria, and Khamzat Chimaev have largely limited their Octagon appearances to once, or at most twice, per calendar year. While this selective strategy contrasts with past dominant champions like Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman—who prioritized frequent defenses for the momentum of the company—Makhachev, Topuria, and Chimaev remain major box-office attractions alongside Pereira, generating massive commercial revenue whenever they do compete.
Why This Matters
The friction over champion activity intersects directly with broader corporate shifts within the UFC, most notably the organization’s historic seven-year, $7.7 billion partnership with Paramount. As platform broadcast rights expand and overall revenue increases, reigning champions are increasingly motivated to maximize their leverage, seeking higher compensation and meticulously choosing high-profile cards rather than accepting short turnaround times or high-risk matchups.
This dynamic creates an enduring operational challenge for Dana White and UFC matchmakers. While the promotion relies on frequent, star-studded pay-per-view events to fulfill broadcast and subscriber expectations, independent champions possessing significant personal wealth have less financial urgency to fight frequently. Balancing promoter demands for regular title defenses against fighters’ leverage to carefully manage their health, revenue splits, and legacies remains an unresolved tension within the organization.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Dana White publicly criticize fighters like Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria?
Dana White expressed frustration that champions like Islam Makhachev, Ilia Topuria, and Khamzat Chimaev only fight once or twice a year, stating that accumulating significant wealth diminishes the financial hunger that previously drove them to compete more regularly.
Which UFC fighters did Dana White praise for their high activity?
White pointed to Alex Pereira, Alexander Volkanovski, and Merab Dvalishvili as prime examples of fighters who actively defend their positions, noting that champions like Volkanovski and Pereira routinely target multiple appearances per year.
What business deal is influencing UFC fighters’ compensation demands?
The UFC entered into a seven-year, $7.7 billion agreement with Paramount, a massive broadcast partnership that has prompted elite champions to seek greater shares of event revenue and take more selective, high-profile dates.
