Dana White teases health benefits for UFC fighters ‘soon’

UFC President, Dana White, recently hinted that UFC fighters could soon see long-term health benefits coming their way.

White engaged in an impromptu Q&A session alongside UFC broadcaster Karyn Bryant on Instagram. A fan commented on the post asking, “Will the UFC ever offer their fighters full-time health benefits so they can have them after their careers are over and possibly deal with life-altering issues from fighting[?]”

The UFC boss replied with a simple, but promising, statement: “Soon.”

This marks the first time in a long time that White has made a public statement about new benefits for UFC fighters. Right now, the promotion only offers medical benefits for active roster members who experience immediate injuries related to a fight or training camp. The training injury coverage was added to the UFC insurance policy in 2011. Prior to that, UFC only covered in-competition injuries for its athletes.

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship President, David Feldman, announced in April that the promotion would launch a pension plan for its athletes, starting with the BKFC 17 card on April 30, 2021.

“Our fighters are the most important asset of the company,” Feldman said in a prepared statement to MMA Fighting. “We want to ensure that they are compensated not only on the night of the fight, but also looked after in retirement. For each BKFC fight, money will be placed in a pension account for them to draw on upon retirement.”

No other major mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion currently offers their fighters (often viewed as contractors, not employees) full-time health benefits.