Dana White says that fighters won’t suffer for a performance bonuses fter the UFC inked a multi-billion dollar deal broadcasting deal with Paramount, ending the promotion’s decades-long traditional pay-per-view model. 

It was confirmed this week that the UFC had agreed terms with Paramount on a seven year deal worth a colossal $1.1 billion per annum — a deal which dwarfs the companies prior arrangement with ESPN which is due to expire in the coming months. The deal has led to concerns, though, regarding the cessation of the pay-per-view points on a fighter’s deal, which meant that top-level athletes were financially compensated for taking part in events that sell well.

Furthermore, the UFC’s traditional post-even performance bonuses had been a source of initial concern.

But speaking to the media on Tuesday, including The Mac Life, following a taping of Dana White’s Contender Series, the UFC head honcho was quick to allay concerns that fighters might be hit in the pocket by this new deal and confirmed that performance bonuses will increase as a term of the new broadcast contract.

“Bonuses are obviously going up,” White said. “So that will be big. Forget about the tide rising with all the other fighters, just the number that the bonuses bring to a fighter is millions of dollars.”

White added that the UFC’s accountants are still readying themselves for the new state of play but he was keen to note that athletes on the roster should not be concerned.

“We’ve got a bunch of smart kids over there in the accounting department that figure out how to make this stuff work. But it’s so good for the fighters,” he said. “What I love about being with one company that made such a big investment with us is they’re all in with us. The fighters are going to get tons of promotion, built by all these different unbelievable networks that these guys own. And, these are aggressive, smart guys that are going to build a big media company.”

And as far as White is concerned, the work starts now.

We have to get in there and we have to deliver. These guys are investing in the sport, in the athletes, and we’ve got to get in there and kill it. so we’ve got a lot of hard work to do over the next several months.”