The previous UFC bantamweight champion fired off a brutally honest response after learning that British boxer Conor Benn reportedly pocketed a staggering $15 million for a single fight under the Zuffa Boxing banner. O’Malley’s response was as unfiltered because it gets: “I’ve never fcking heard of him… It’s crazy how you set in a lot work within the UFC. Construct this name, create this character, be a star. I’m not making fcking $15 million to fight.”
Sean O’Malley can’t imagine Conor Benn is getting $15M for one fight with Zuffa Boxing 😬
“I’ve never f*cking heard of him… It’s crazy how you set in a lot work within the UFC. Construct this name, create this character, be a star. I’m not making f*cking $15 million to fight.” pic.twitter.com/sKZSJAuOFc
— Comfortable Punch (@HappyPunch) February 23, 2026
Let that sink in for a second.
O’Malley is one of the recognizable faces in all of combat sports. The candy-coated hair, the slick striking, the walk-offs, Suga Sean has done every part the UFC could ask of a star. He sold PPVs, filled arenas, and built a fanbase that spans well beyond the hardcore MMA faithful. He held UFC gold. And yet, here’s a boxer that O’Malley had never even heard of (allegedly) clearing more in a single night than most UFC champions will see of their entire profession.
Conor Benn is getting $15 million from Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing for one fight 🤯
(via @DanRafael1) pic.twitter.com/2sOBtQ6PBW
— Comfortable Punch (@HappyPunch) February 21, 2026
It is the form of reality check that stings, and it speaks to a much larger conversation that fighters, agents, and fans have been having for years about fighter pay within the UFC.
The contrast is jarring. Boxing, for all its dysfunction and fragmented promotional landscape, has long been capable of generate massive individual paydays for its top, and sometimes not-so-top talent. Zuffa Boxing entering the space and reportedly throwing $15 million at Benn, a fighter with name recognition mostly limited to the UK market, only pours fuel on that fireside.
O’Malley is not the primary UFC star to voice this frustration, and he actually won’t be the last. But his comments carry extra weight given where he sits within the MMA hierarchy. If a former champion and legit draw feels shortchanged, what does that say concerning the fighters further down the cardboard?
The UFC has all the time argued that its platform, marketing muscle, and global reach justify its pay structure. But moments like this make it increasingly hard to sell that argument, even to the celebs they helped create.