UFC London: Fighter pay debate laid bare as Conor Benn deal described as ‘heartbreaking’

Some of the most impressive performances at UFC London took place on the undercard.

Nathaniel Wood once again overcame the odds to defeat Losene Keita, while Mason Jones defeated Axel Sola in a bruising back-and-forth battle in the match of the year.

Jones and Sola were covered in blood and breathing heavily at the end of the contest; Both fighters were swinging with every ounce of their energy until the final bell.

Jones’ performance was the kind of performance that can have a lasting impact on a fighter’s career, but he and Wood woke up fans at the O2 Arena on a night when the atmosphere was sometimes flat.

Preliminary fighters like Wood and Jones don’t get much media attention or publicity from the UFC and are paid dramatically less than their headliner peers.

But in a sport that demands so much from the body and mind, there are arguments that athletes need to be better cared for in the changing landscape of combat sports.

Fighters’ salaries have been questioned by athletes and the media after boxer Conor Benn secured an £11 million one-fight deal with Zuffa Boxing.

Since Zuffa Boxing is owned by UFC president Dana White, critics have asked why the 56-year-old doesn’t pay similar amounts to contracted MMA fighters.

The UFC provides fighters with about 20% of the revenue, compared to boxers, who receive about 60% of the revenue from competitions.

Londoner Wood, who has won 11 of 14 fights in the UFC, said he hoped the Benn deal would lead to change because he was “heartbroken” to see how much he would earn.

“When you consider I’ve been in the UFC for eight years but I’m not in that, I’m not even 1% of that,” Wood told BBC Sport ahead of UFC London.

“I believe MMA in particular is a tougher sport, but I’m still just trying to control what I have and it has nothing to do with me.

“It was absolutely heartbreaking to see someone get that much money.”