Dana White claims Justin Gaethje ignored offer for more money before UFC 324

Story by

Dana White claims Justin Gaethje ignored offer for more money before UFC 324

Nolan King and Mike Bohn, MMA Junkie

Thu, January 22, 2026 at 7:58 PM UTC

2 min read

Dana White's response to Justin Gaethje's comments about not receiving a pay increase in the wake of the UFC's $7.7 billion deal with Paramount might surprise you.

During an appearance Thursday on "The Pat McAfee Show," White was asked about Gaethje's claim during UFC 324 media day that the promotion had not increased his pay in the post-pay-per-view era of Paramount+. According to White, Gaethje was offered more money – and the fact that he didn't receive a pay raise is on him.

"We completely have it dialed in," White said. "We have really smart kids who can get it down within single digits on how close it would be to pay (fighters) like it was a pay-per-view. And Gaethje, without getting into all that stuff, Gaethje was offered more money, and Gaethje never responded. We're good."

Gaethje has yet to respond to White's claim of an unanswered offer. Gaethje's manager, Ali Abdelaziz of Dominance MMA, didn't immediately respond to MMA Junkie's request for comment

UFC 324 marks the beginning of the UFC's Paramount streaming deal, and with it, the end of pay-per-view as numbered events are included with a Paramount+ subscription. The shift in approach has caused the UFC to have to rework deals with athletes who received pay-per-view points.

Additionally, White has said on multiple occasions that fighter pay and bonuses would increase, though the UFC boss hasn't been clear on when those increases will occur or how much they will be.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dana White claims Justin Gaethje ignored UFC offer for more money

Source