Despite facing significant pushback from fans and boxing legends, Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing continues to push forward, maintaining a firm grip on its schedule as it prepares for its third event on February 15.
Zuffa Boxing 03, headlined by a heavyweight clash between Efe Ajagba and former IBF champion Charles Martin, takes place at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas on February 15, 2026. While parent company TKO Group Holdings has successfully launched the promotion on Paramount+, the venture continues to face intense backlash. Critics and boxing legends have voiced concerns that the Muhammad Ali Revival Act could allow the promotion to bypass traditional financial transparency and the separation of powers. A primary fear within the boxing community is that this ‘UFC-style’ centralized model will eventually lead to lower fighter pay, mirroring the controversial wage structures often seen in MMA.
Zuffa Boxing 03: Ajagba vs. Martin Purse and Payouts
Zuffa Boxing’s pay structure mirrors the UFC’s centralized business model. While traditional boxing often features wide pay disparities, Dana White’s promotion has established more rigid brackets. The same applies to the 3rd card with Entry-Level & Unranked Fighters at the start of their tenure, earning between $10,000 and $20,000 per appearance. While the likes of Jai Opetaia could earn $750,000 for headlining a card, Efe Ajagba and Charles Martin are expected to earn much less. Top Contenders and boxers ranked within the Zuffa Boxing’s top ten can see purses climb to $375,000 for high-stakes matchups.
The estimated purse/payouts for Zuffa Boxing 03 are as given below:
Lightweight Bout: Dariial Kuchmenov vs Jorge Lagunas – $10,000 to $20,000
Featherweight Bout: Emiliano Alvarado vs Devin Gantt – $10,000 to $20,000
Lightweight Bout: Oswaldo Molina vs Joshua Clark – $10,000 to $20,000
Middleweight Bout: Antonio Woods vs Mark Beuke – $10,000 to $20,000
Middleweight Bout: Leonardo Ruiz vs Casey Streeter – $10,000 to $20,000
Lightweight Bout: Abel Mejia vs Jaybrio Pe Benito – $10,000 to $20,000
Light Heavyweight Bout: Umar Dzambekov vs Ahmed Elbiali – $50,000 to $100,000
Heavyweight Main Event: Efe Ajagba vs Charles Martin – $50,000 to $100,000
Along with this a $50,000 to $100,000+ “Fight of the Night” or “Performance of the Night” bonuses are also expected to be handed out for stand out fights.
The above model also includes $5,000 signing bonuses and full coverage for gear, food, and accommodation.
Zuffa Boxing and Dana White’s pay revealed by WBC champ’s manager
Reigning WBC and The Ring magazine super flyweight champ Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez’s manager, Robert Garcia, revealed key details about the pay structure earlier this year after the commencement of the first card.
“My two fighters that fought at that event, they’re happy,” claimed Garcia. He also went on to disclose that while one of his fighters fought 8 rounds for only $4000 before joining the new promotion, his purse rose by a massive margin with Zuffa’s new deal.
“I can’t tell my kids, No, you guys have to hold back because I don’t like what they’re doing. No, actually, I’m okay with it,” he said.
On the other hand, seasoned boxing promoters, Eddie Hearn and Oscar De La Hoya, have not shied away from raising concerns about the model. De La Hoya, after Zuffa Boxing’s first event back in January, ripped the promotion and Dana White for putting on a card with ‘no names’.
“Does anyone recognize those guys? We were told that boxing was broken and that they were coming to change it and fix it. But all they did was copy and paste what has been done for over a hundred years,” he exclaimed.
In response to De La Hoya’s verdict, White fired back at the former boxer, asking him to join OnlyFans so he could pay off his debts.
“He’s running out of money. Get the panties and fishnets back on, jump on OnlyFans and pay that $23M on f*cking rent you owe.” White responded.
Dana White just violated Oscar De La Hoya 😭
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) February 2, 2026
“He’s running out of money. Get the panties and fishnets back on, jump on OnlyFans and pay that $23M on f*cking rent you owe.”
(via @Ninadrama) pic.twitter.com/CeEe9vkNPU
How much does Zuffa Boxing pay its fighters?
reported base salaries for unranked fighters range from $15,000 to $20,000. It significantly increases with rank to $50,000 – $100,000 for top contenders, and up to $500,000 – $750,000+ for title fights.
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