Conor Benn continues to rock the combat sports world with his signing with Zuffa Boxing. While the move isn’t directly related to MMA, UFC stars like Michael Page have been left scratching their heads.
Over the weekend, Benn shocked many when he signed a singles deal worth at least $15 million with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing. That’s a striking price tag for an athlete who has never won a world title, and instantly makes the 29-year-old Brit one of – if not the – highest earner this The highest earners – fighters under TKO, including UFC.
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Page, 38, who has been involved in the sport for a long time, admitted on “The Boys in the Back” on Tuesday that he wasn’t excited to see the eye-popping numbers White’s new venture would cost.
“[Benn’s signing is] “It’s not something I’m happy about,” Page told Uncrowned. “I would say that when Paramount announced it was partnering with huge money [with the UFC] When I come in, people ask me, ‘Are you excited about this?’ ‘My response was, ‘Well, what does this mean for the warrior?’ Until we see how this will translate to fighters, there’s nothing to really get excited about. And then I heard, if you want to call it an increase, [UFC] Bonus structure.
“That’s why I didn’t bother getting excited at first. Because to me, it wasn’t enough compared to the money they just brought in for themselves. … And then look how fast it goes [White] The value he places on people — or rather how much he values people far removed from the sport that built his reputation — is, to be fair, just frustrating. This is more disappointing than anything else. “
Zuffa Boxing will officially launch in 2026, coinciding with the UFC kicking off its Paramount era following a massive $7.7 billion deal with its new broadcast partner. A deal of this magnitude would surely bring significant changes to UFC athlete payouts, right? not necessarily.
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An additional $25,000 in finisher bonuses are added, along with the promotion’s traditional performance and fight-of-the-night bonuses. However, this seems to be the only place where fighter pay is changing in the UFC right now. Similar to former UFC champion Sean O’Malley, who was skeptical of Ben’s deal but ultimately accepted his fate within the UFC’s less profitable pay structure, Page feels his fellow fighter won’t have much of a chance to prove his worth.
“I don’t think so. The reason I don’t think so is, it gives us something to complain about,” Page said. “But honestly, I think if you don’t see the value in your fighters before that and then you put a price tag on it — I like Connor Benn, but he’s nowhere near what he is. The best in the field. I think he’s a great fighter, I enjoy watching him, he’s an exciting fighter, but aspect-wise, he’s not the best in his field. He has a lot to prove in boxing and you put this price tag on him?
“I’ve been saying this for a long time and I feel like we deserve more. I hate hearing stories of fighters reaching the top of their careers in the UFC and still being broke. That shouldn’t exist. Unless you’re completely terrible at money, then a situation where you’re struggling fight after fight shouldn’t exist and that shouldn’t be a thing… The only thing I can say is that it’s more disappointing than anything.”
Page added that he knows it’s no secret that boxing matches are significantly more expensive than MMA fights. But that doesn’t make the reality any less sour.
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“This game puts you in a place you like, and now you have to do something you may not ‘dislike’ [like boxing]but that doesn’t bring you the greatest happiness,” Page said. “So you’re at your peak and now you’re thinking you have to go somewhere else [to make more money].
“I love fighting. But my passion is mixed martial arts. There’s a different kind of love for it. So, unfortunately, from a financial standpoint, you can’t really achieve what you want just by being passionate about this particular area. I feel like this is one of the very few areas where that’s the case.”
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For now at least, Page (24-3) remains focused on MMA.
His next assignment is to return to welterweight after two successful fights at middleweight. “Venom” has certainly had his sharpest performance in the new weight class in 2025 since his Octagon debut, with unanimous decision wins over Jared Cannonier and Salaboudin Magomedov.
Another big-name opponent appears to be the next step for the high-profile sensation, but he will be tasked with fending off rising star Sam Patterson at UFC London on March 21.
Even Page was confused by the booking.
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“I’ve been asking a lot of different fighters and not really getting a response, and I’m not panicking, but when I talk to the UFC, I do feel more urgency,” Page said. “I was like, ‘What’s going on? Who am I going to fight?’ We had a few back-and-forth discussions and we just kind of pushed a lot of names to the side that we hadn’t really considered before because they weren’t high-level names. But what kind of guy does that fall into? [the UFC] Looking for? Because the name we sent doesn’t seem to get any kind of response. …Sam walked up to the plate and I think he wanted to fight.
“It’s an unusual fight but regardless, I’m happy to be back in the cage. I’m happy that I got a fight. I’m happy that I didn’t miss the opportunity to fight back in the UK because I think a lot of people wanted me to go there and I’m happy to put on a show.
“For me, it’s a little weird,” Page added, “but I’m going to do what I do best – put on a great show and hopefully become even more famous after that.”
