TLDR
- Sean O’Malley revealed he made roughly $600,000 for his win at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House
- Eddie Hearn said O’Malley was underpaid and urged UFC fighters to demand better compensation
- Alex Pereira made $10 million at the same event while Justin Gaethje earned nearly $3 million
- The White House event reportedly cost over $60 million to produce
- Hearn pointed out that Zuffa Boxing pays fighters like Conor Benn $15 million while lesser-known than O’Malley
Sources: nyfights.com | sports.yahoo.com | lowkickmma.com
Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has fired back at the UFC over fighter pay after Sean O’Malley revealed his earnings from the historic White House event. The former bantamweight champion said he made roughly $600,000 for his second-round knockout of Aiemann Zahabi at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, 2026.
O’Malley stopped Zahabi at 4:02 of the second round on the South Lawn of the White House. The event reportedly cost over $60 million to produce, making it one of the most expensive cards in UFC history.
The fighter told the One Night with Steiny podcast that the payout was lower than what he earned during his championship run. O’Malley said “it definitely sucks” to fight for less money but accepted the bout to build his personal brand and grow his outside businesses.
Sean O’Malley reveals he got paid around $600K to fight at the White House 👀
“It definitely sucks [fighting for less].”
(via @onenightsteiny) pic.twitter.com/KlSjBKuHhr
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) June 24, 2026
Big Pay Gap at White House Event
The $600,000 figure stood in stark contrast to what other fighters earned that night. Alex Pereira took home $10 million despite losing his heavyweight fight to Ciryl Gane.
Justin Gaethje earned approximately $2.925 million after knocking out Ilia Topuria to win the belt. That total included $825,000 in bonuses from UFC president Dana White.
Hearn addressed the pay gap on The Ariel Helwani Show this week. “You’ve literally got guys making more for an eight-round fight against a guy that I would beat than Sean O’Malley made fighting at the White House,” the Matchroom Boxing promoter said.
Hearn urged UFC fighters to speak up about compensation. “Those guys need to stop being suppressed,” he said. “I’m just shocked by the mindset of, ‘Oh well, there’s nothing else we can do, really. It is what it is.'”
He added that O’Malley should demand more. “There’s a guy fighting on the undercard in the fourth fight who’s making more than you,” Hearn said. “You need to grow some balls, and you need to start fighting for what’s right for you and your career.”
Boxing vs. UFC Pay Comparison
Hearn pointed to specific examples of boxing payouts that dwarf UFC earnings. Conor Benn signed a deal with Zuffa Boxing worth $15 million, according to reports.
“Sean O’Malley could walk around New York City and get mobbed,” Hearn said. “Yet Zuffa Boxing is paying $10 million or $15 million to fighters who could walk around New York and nobody would even know who they are.”
Kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven earned $15 million for a single fight. That one payout exceeded the total for the entire UFC 328 card, according to Hearn.
Court documents from the UFC antitrust case show UFC fighters receive about 18 to 20 percent of company revenue. Internal benchmarking discussed in that case placed boxing’s revenue share to fighters at roughly 62.5 percent.
Hearn has been in an ongoing public dispute with Dana White over Zuffa Boxing, which White launched earlier this year. In February, White compared taking on established boxing promoters to “assaulting infants.”
Hearn responded by calling Zuffa’s offerings “utterly subpar.” The tension escalated when Benn left Matchroom for Zuffa, prompting White to challenge Hearn to a fight.
O’Malley publicly reacted to Benn’s $15 million Zuffa Boxing deal earlier this year. Active UFC fighters do not appear on the Forbes highest-paid athletes list, while boxers like Canelo Alvarez and Jake Paul regularly make the rankings.
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