Dana White recalls 'crazy' backlash from UFC fighters after they found out CM Punk's salary

Dana White has recalled people going "crazy" when they discovered how much CM Punk was being paid by the UFC.

At the end of 2014, during the UFC 181 pay-per-view broadcast in Las Vegas, it was confirmed that the company had agreed to sign Phil “CM Punk” Brooks on a multi-year deal.

Despite having never stepped into the octagon, the professional wrestler said he was going "full steam ahead" ahead of a soon-to-be-announced welterweight debut against Mickey Gall.

Sadly for the Chicago-born fighter, Gall would prevail at UFC 203. In fact, Punk would suffer another defeat on his two-fight record, when he lost via unanimous decision to Mike Jackson at UFC 225.

Punk was soon advised to "call it a wrap" by UFC president Dana White and he never fought for the MMA promotion again. So how much did he get paid for his exploits?

According to a copy of Punk's UFC contract unsealed in the ongoing UFC Antitrust Lawsuit, the 45-year-old received a fixed payment of $500,000 for his debut fight against Gall.

In fact, a report from MMA Fighting says an expert in the lawsuit claimed the current WWE star actually took home $1,042,736 for his loss to Gall based on pay-per-view bonuses and 'other sweeteners'.

A conversation between Dana White and an attorney has also emerged in recent days. Here's how that chat went down:

DW: "We had some guy that was – that was paid a certain amount of money and never – oh, the professional wrestler that we brought in. Not Brock [Lesnar], the other one."

Attorney: "CM Punk?"

Dana White: "Oh, yeah. People went crazy when they saw what he got paid. Even the women."

As mentioned by White, there was a strong reaction to CM's earnings.

After making his octagon debut, then-UFC bantamweight Cat Zingano tweeted: “CM Punk made $500k on his entry fight while the rest of us pay to fight? Y’all should be ashamed UFC."

Former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos also reacted, saying: “Nothing against CM Punk make half million for his MMA debut but I think champs should be [making] that too, people who dedicated [an] entire life.”

One thing cannot be disputed, though. Punk helped elevate the UFC 203 event in September 2016, with the card generating a reported $26,995,500.

It is believed Punk’s pay represented around four percent of those earnings.