UFC London: Fighter pay discussion revealed as Conor Benn deal described as ‘heartbreaking’

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

Nathaniel Wood overcame the odds once again to defeat Lucini Keita, while Mason Jones overcame Axel Sola in a tough back-and-forth clash of the year.

Jones and Sola were covered in blood and breathing heavily by the end of the contest, with both fighters squirming until the final bell, using every last drop of energy.

Jones’ performance was the kind of performance that could have a lasting impact on a fighter’s career, but he and Wood impressed the crowd on a night when the atmosphere was flat at times at the O2 Arena.

Top-ranked fighters like Wood and Jones don’t get the same amount of media attention or promotion from the UFC — and strikingly less money than their top-ranked peers.

But in a sport that is so demanding of the body and mind, there are arguments that athletes should be taken better care of amid the changing landscape in combat sports.

Fighters’ salaries have been called into question by athletes and the media recently after boxer Conor Penn secured an £11 million deal with Zuffa Boxing.

Zuffa Boxing is owned by UFC president Dana White, so critics have questioned why the 56-year-old isn’t paying MMA fighters similar amounts under contract.

The UFC gives about 20% of its revenue to fighters’ wages, compared to boxers who get about 60% of their revenue from their events.

Londoner Wood, who has won 11 of his 14 fights in the UFC, says he hopes the Benn deal will bring change because he was “heartbroken” when he saw how much he would earn.

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

“Especially when I think MMA is the most difficult sport as well, but again I try to control what I have in my hands and it has nothing to do with me.

“It was definitely heartbreaking to see someone get paid that much.”