Fighter pay increase. Why?

[DestinedAussie]

I thought parents got their kids into sport because its healthy, fun and a great way to make new friends.
As a parent you should be more interested in what your child like than what they potentially can earn as a grown up who makes it to the biggest stage.

Fighting in MMA isn't healthy from a parents point of view. There is significant risk of injury. Parents want to protect their children. Also on "great way to make friends" is why team sports are so popular.

That is the entire story right there. The whole thing can be solved with 3 words. Don't be boring. That is it, just don't be boring and you can sell enough T-Shirts, Wigs, and vibrators to buy a pink Lambo like O'Malley. It doesn't even matter if you win or lose your fights. Anyone remember the last time Chandler or Conor won a fight? Even if you do it doesn't make any difference in their careers.

This is just how combat sports are. Unlike things like NBA where you have fav team you follow, in MMA you have to earn that interest over and over again with each new fighter. That is pretty tricky from a marketing point of view. It is also isn't realistic for everyone to be popular sadly.

Well yea but are you going to get your kid into mma and say do this for a living you won't make much or say nba which can get you a scholarship and good cash?

While this might be the case for kids who are obviously extremely gifted athletically, in general kids often get into sport because of school. School sports don't include MMA.

 

[DiddlyDoodly]

nope. We don’t live in a meritocracy, that’s incredibly naïve… It’s not about what you’re worth or what you deserve, it’s about what you negotiate.

If all the fighters went on strike, Dana would be begging for mercy within weeks or even days. Not likely to happen though.

Fighters that are 11-0 who win by lay and pray decisions will never make as much as fighters who are 11 with 11 finishes.

LOL at "Strike"

Speaking of naive. You have no idea what you are talking about.

 

[DestinedAussie]

nope. We don’t live in a meritocracy, that’s incredibly naïve… It’s not about what you’re worth or what you deserve, it’s about what you negotiate.

If all the fighters went on strike, Dana would be begging for mercy within weeks or even days. Not likely to happen though.

Or he would just sign a load of fighters from regional events and keep the shows rolling.

 

[Cartiac]

This is just how combat sports are. Unlike things like NBA where you have fav team you follow, in MMA you have to earn that interest over and over again with each new fighter. That is pretty tricky from a marketing point of view. It is also isn't realistic for everyone to be popular sadly.

yea, the team sports model has nothing to do with MMA, but what baffles me is the MMA marketing model is not tricky at all. It is exactly the same as the social media "influencer" model and there are even several fighters doing it very successfully, Conor, Izzy, O'Malley, Costa, Paddy, etc. to copy. Being a UFC fighter already gives them a fast track to work from all they have to do is post often, show personality, book fights, build relationships with the media, don't sit there like a mute lump during press conferences, etc. All they have to do is put in some work to help themselves but they just take the basic pay they deserve for basic effort.

 

[Kb7]

How is it "UFC is the superbowl of MMA" & "the big leagues, bigger than soccer" yet fighters in the pinnacle of MMA have 2nd jobs. It's just laughable. How are we gonna get the absolute pinnacle/best when even many UFC fighters work 2nd jobs? My friends who are casuals insisted I must be lying when I showed them what some UFC fighters make.

I'm assuming you showed them payouts of fighters they never heard of. Similar to Boxing, everyone focuses on the Fury's, Canelos, Tanks, Mayweathers million dollar payouts. Then you have Gabriel Rosado who makes 75k.

 

[honzo]

But if people actually paid for ppvs the company would be worth more therefor the .001 that goes to the fighters would be more!

So your saying fighters on higher viewing PPV cards get more revenue?
Didn't someone recently post that the UFC has actually shelled out less revenue percentage than in previous years?
What other 'genius logic' are you going to hit me with....or are you just going to post another stupid photo?

 

[Stalingrad9]

It ain't about you understanding it or whatever.

It's about people getting brain damage for a living actually be able to make that living, and maybe, just maybe get healthcare for when they're done, because obviously it ain't gonna come from UFC.

Plus fuck a multi-billion corporation. Like the fucking starting contract HAS TO BE 12/12. Bunch of cheap motherfuckers. They made almost 400M in profits and fighters can't even get paid to wear a fucking t-shirt on their way to the cage.

 

[David R]

Other organizations pay a lot. UFC waits for them to fail and scoops their fighters up. So why pay more?

 

[Poirierfan]

Or he would just sign a load of fighters from regional events and keep the shows rolling.

And then the UFC would literally die if that would happen.

 

[Kb7]

It ain't about you understanding it or whatever.

It's about people getting brain damage for a living actually be able to make that living, and maybe, just maybe get healthcare for when they're done, because obviously it ain't gonna come from UFC.

Plus fuck a multi-billion corporation. Like the fucking starting contract HAS TO BE 12/12. Bunch of cheap motherfuckers. They made almost 400M in profits and fighters can't even get paid to wear a fucking t-shirt on their way to the cage.

MLB & NBA are the only sport I can think of that has healthcare when they're done. NFL covers only for five years then the players have to pay & Boxing doesn't have it. I doubt the UFC will ever have a proper healthcare system when fighters are done.

All fighters who fight in the UFC started at similar contracts. Jon Jones 6k/6k, Conor 8k/8k. The fighters who get paid good with starting contracts in the UFC are fighters who already established a name outside the org. And just like any other sport, not all individuals will ever reach the high income, that's the sad reality of it.

I think fighters should at least be able to have 3 sponsors that they can advertise during fight week & night, it is what is. Fighters are still able to have sponsors though & lots of fighters have sponsors who pay them well.

 

[VAfan]

because the fighters obviously deserve more?? fuckin republican thread. 'do the poor deserve to eat?'

 

[VAfan]

MLB & NBA are the only sport I can think of that has healthcare when they're done. NFL covers only for five years then the players have to pay & Boxing doesn't have it.

didn't know that about the NFL, that sucks if true. if anyone needs it for life, it's them.

 

[mmaElite53]

Fighters that are 11-0 who win by lay and pray decisions will never make as much as fighters who are 11 with 11 finishes.

LOL at "Strike"

Speaking of naive. You have no idea what you are talking about.

My original point still stands, you get what you negotiate. Do you really believe a ruthless corporation like the UFC is gonna pay you fairly just on merit if you don’t play hardball and have a great agent on your side? No way, that’s not how America works lol.
And as far as a hypothetical strike, I have no illusions that such movement would ever happen in a hyper individualistic sport like MMA/prize fighting, but if you think that wouldn’t bring the ufc to its knees youre dreaming.

 

[Kb7]

If all the fighters went on strike, Dana would be begging for mercy within weeks or even days. Not likely to happen though.

It is very unlikely to happen, most of the guys who would go on strike are fighters with records that are probably 4-4 or 4-3. The others fighter who get paid well would just sit back and continue on. Similar to that Project Spearhead situation where no one signed up.

 

[skylolow]

It ain't about you understanding it or whatever.

It's about people getting brain damage for a living actually be able to make that living, and maybe, just maybe get healthcare for when they're done, because obviously it ain't gonna come from UFC.

Plus fuck a multi-billion corporation. Like the fucking starting contract HAS TO BE 12/12. Bunch of cheap motherfuckers. They made almost 400M in profits and fighters can't even get paid to wear a fucking t-shirt on their way to the cage.

All very true..............but at what point does the blame to allow this to continue fall on the fighters themselves??

We as individuals devalue things everyday in life so to expect a corporation to not do it just isn't real.

 

[jsbx45]

Oh, This thread again. UFC pay is not great for most fighters. They should make more in the biggest show. Percentage of receipts paid to UFC fighters is the lowest of any major sports league. UFC would attract more talent if they paid better.

There you go TS. Question answered.

 

[Hatz]

I can't substantiate any of the following, but here are a few considerations:

1. More money would attract more talent (e.g. especially 265+ lbs persons)

2. Fighters could access better health case and/or coverage and afford to take fewer risks.

3. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good gimmick, but not everyone is cut out to be a professional entertainer. More money would remove some burden on athletes to become "characters" and place it squarely in the hands of the promotor. UFC used to be better at this IMO.

4. Based on 2 and 3, outside of PPV headliners, match-making could be easier and/or more meritocratic since losing fights would carry less of a financial penalty. Athletes could focus more on their craft and less with brand building and their stock if they were getting paid regardless.

Also youd get better fighters bc guys could train full-time

 

[Kb7]

Also youd get better fighters bc guys could train full-time

What is your definition of training full time?

I agree you would get better fighters, but you also will have a lot of fighters phoning it in also.

Its one of the reasons why a union wouldn't work, the fighters who deserve the higher pay clearly deserve it, while you have fighters who believe they do without putting in half the work.

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

None of these asswipes give a shit about what fighters are paid. Where's the outrage about non UFC fighter pay?

It's virtue signalling.

Other promoters pay the fighters about 40-50% of the revenue while the UFC pays around 17% or less. Other promoters can't pay the fighters much more or they will go out of business. The UFC could double every fighters contract and be fine. It's not about virtue signaling, you just don't understand.

 

[djacobox372]

The average salary in the NBA is 9 million, the average salary in the highest paid league outside of the NBA is 100k, that's nearly a 100 times difference.

Why doesn't the NBA take advantage of their monopoly and cut salaries of all players like the UFC does?