# UFC exploits fighters



## mastodon2222 (Feb 4, 2010)

"_Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin shared a purse of $440,000 for their heavyweight title bout at UFC 116 in Las Vegas_."

*$440,000?!* :sarcastic12: The biggest heavyweight fight in the history of the UFC and these guys are fighting for chump change! Compare this to the $50 million purses that top boxers get -- insulting.


----------



## paulfromtulsa (Jan 13, 2007)

someone needs to start a fighters union


----------



## marcthegame (Mar 28, 2009)

mastodon2222 said:


> "_Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin shared a purse of $440,000 for their heavyweight title bout at UFC 116 in Las Vegas_."
> 
> *$440,000?!* :sarcastic12: The biggest heavyweight fight in the history of the UFC and these guys are fighting for chump change! Compare this to the $50 million purses that top boxers get -- insulting.


lesnar took 400k so i don't know how much carwin took last time i checked it was 45k. But the ufc does exploit fighters, these guys get paid peanuts for there hardwork. Its kinda disgraceful the amount these guys get paid.


----------



## mastodon2222 (Feb 4, 2010)

paulfromtulsa said:


> someone needs to start a fighters union


What works better than a union is good old fashioned American competition. UFC is trying to get a monopoly so they can continue to pay their fighters peanuts - it's why I support Strikeforce, Fedor, or anyone who challenges the UFC monopoly.


----------



## DJ Syko (Jan 6, 2008)

a very, very small percentage of boxers on this planet make big money and the rest make "chump change", thats insulting. MMA spreads there money around a lot lot more than than boxing and thats one of the reasons boxing is on the downfall and MMA is rising.


----------



## Wookie (Jul 20, 2008)

The UFC really does screw their fighters, which sucks because they could definitely pay them more. And the fact that Brock made that much more is a travesty, especially when Carwin was the more accomplished fighter. I really don't see this changing anytime soon though. Dana is a dick when it comes to fighter's rights.


----------



## mastodon2222 (Feb 4, 2010)

DJ Syko said:


> a very, very small percentage of boxers on this planet make big money and the rest make "chump change", thats insulting. MMA spreads there money around a lot lot more than than boxing and thats one of the reasons boxing is on the downfall and MMA is rising.


Paydays for their most recent fights:

Pacquiao: $11 million
De la Hoya: $22 million

Lesnar: $400k
Carwin: $40k
Anderson Silva: $110k
frank Mir: $45k


----------



## ptw (Aug 13, 2009)

Does anyone know whether the UFC covers the cost of injuries, hospital visits, and check ups? I don't want to jump to conclusions and say the UFC doesn't cover any of this, but I do recall reading something that implied UFC fighters have to cover their own medical costs. Can anyone verify?

I completely agree that fighters get paid crap for what they do, it's pathetic. The big stars like Lesnar, GSP, Rampage etc. get special benefits like PPV money and such. Like someone already mentioned, it's a privately owned company, that's why it functions the way it does.


----------



## Hiro (Mar 9, 2010)

Dana said that all the fighters were going to be getting big money. The interview is about 15 mins and on Sherdog, but when the mention of money comes up he says they will all be leaving happy.

I believe him too. I bet Carwin got a fat cheque.


----------



## MatParker116 (Feb 21, 2009)

Several Things:
1) Those declared salries are *FAR FROM ACCURATE* both Brock and Shane made millions in PPV and Locker room bonuses which are not declared.
2) The UFC insures all fighters against injuries in the octagon.


----------



## rean1mator (Nov 20, 2006)

Well in the US professional Boxing has been around since the early 1900's vs MMA...what early 1990's? I still see mma in it's infancy and i'm sure the pay will increase as public acceptance for the sport grows. it's a matter of time and development of the sport really. 

With that said it's not like Dana's holding a gun to these fighters heads and forcing them to agree to a contract. I do think the pay discrepancies need to get better tho'.

fighter's union/organization would be a start that negotiates minimum payouts for main events etc. it makes no sense that anderson silva is making 1/4 of brock lesnars fights and a fight touted as the greatest hw fight in history between the two greatest hw's ever and carwin only *reportedly* making 45k just doesn't make sense either, especially when his opponent is makeing almost 9X's that amount. :confused02:

Maybe Carwin needs to fire his manager or whoever negotiated his contract. 




mastodon2222 said:


> Paydays for their most recent fights:
> 
> Pacquiao: $11 million
> De la Hoya: $22 million
> ...


----------



## _RIVAL_ (Mar 7, 2008)

PPVs alone revenue a hell of alot of money.... This is a timeless arguement about the UFC.... Fighter disputes regarding this have been happening for years with Tito, Randy, Frank Shamrock , Hendo, Werdum, Huerta, B.J. Penn, and alot more....

Who knows how much they really get paid with the PPV bonus's or what have you.

It definatly is interesting though.


----------



## mudpie (Apr 20, 2008)

mastodon2222 said:


> Paydays for their most recent fights:
> 
> Pacquiao: $11 million
> De la Hoya: $22 million
> ...


The DLH /Pacman fight drew 1.25M PPV (wiki), I couldn't find the figures for UFC 116, but there's an estimate for UFC 111, which was also fairly big, at 0.85 M PPV. I assume the additional numbers are all cream (overheads don't increase) so say $60 x 400,000PPV = $24M extra to play fighters with. You could argue over the numbers, but the the impression I get is boxing is still way bigger than UFC.

PS I'm not saying UFC aren't greedy, just maybe not as greedy as your figures suggest. Just very greedy.


----------



## rean1mator (Nov 20, 2006)

yeah, you kinda have to think a little about that when top tier fighters like henderson, penn, couture(and others) have issues with the ufc and make comments about the org in a negative light whether bluntly or subtlely.



_RIVAL_ said:


> PPVs alone revenue a hell of alot of money.... This is a timeless arguement about the UFC.... Fighter disputes regarding this have been happening for years with Tito, Randy, Frank Shamrock , Hendo, Werdum, Huerta, B.J. Penn, and alot more....
> 
> Who knows how much they really get paid with the PPV bonus's or what have you.
> 
> It definatly is interesting though.


----------



## _RIVAL_ (Mar 7, 2008)

rean1mator said:


> yeah, you kinda have to think a little about that when top tier fighters like henderson, penn, couture(and others) have issues with the ufc and make comments about the org in a negative light whether bluntly or subtlely.


Everyone of those guys willingly left except for Werdum and Tito who were cut. Frank and Randy were reigning champions when they left.


----------



## Dtwizzy2k5 (Jul 7, 2008)

UFC fighter salaries are a disgrace in the professional sporting world. The UFC has the revenue to increase salaries for everybody but because they are a monopoly and martial artists are respectful people who fight for the love of the sport, there is no pressure on them to do anything differently.
A fighter's union needs to be formed, or the UFC needs to get competition from Strikeforce in order for wages to increase.
To be fair though, $440G is still a ton of money compared to normal people, its just not a lot compared to pro athletes. You cant honestly say you feel "bad" for somebody making that much money.


----------



## rean1mator (Nov 20, 2006)

and then they all came back! b/c there was nowhere else to go. except hendo of course but i'd imagine that's just a matter of time.


_RIVAL_ said:


> Everyone of those guys willingly left except for Werdum and Tito who were cut. Frank and Randy were reigning champions when they left.


----------



## Hiro (Mar 9, 2010)

An article about salaries etc, from 2006:



> The Ultimate Fighting Championship, the Las Vegas-based mixed martial arts promoter, has in just over five years drawn even with boxing by most objective standards.
> 
> The UFC routinely sells as many pay-per-views for its fights as boxing does. It nearly always draws larger crowds to its arena shows. Its television ratings dwarf boxing numbers and compete well against other professional sports on cable.
> 
> ...


http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Aug-20-Sun-2006/news/9032763.html


----------



## Calroid (Jul 7, 2010)

mastodon2222 said:


> Paydays for their most recent fights:
> 
> Pacquiao: $11 million
> De la Hoya: $22 million
> ...


Do you know what the undercard fighters earned when Pacquiao earned his $11 million and DLH his $22 million?


----------



## mastodon2222 (Feb 4, 2010)

mastodon2222 said:


> Paydays for their most recent fights:
> 
> Pacquiao: $11 million
> De la Hoya: $22 million
> ...


The PPV #s for the top UFC fights are growing quickly and are close to the PPV #s for big boxing matches, but the fighters make 50-100 times as much in boxing.


----------



## mastodon2222 (Feb 4, 2010)

MatParker116 said:


> Several Things:
> 1) Those declared salries are *FAR FROM ACCURATE* both Brock and Shane made millions in PPV and Locker room bonuses which are not declared.
> 2) The UFC insures all fighters against injuries in the octagon.


If you can show supporting evidence for #1 above, I will get off my soapbox on this issue, but the official data that I've seen from the Nevada Athletic Commission and other source show Carwin's total payout at a measly $45k.


----------



## diablo5597 (Nov 12, 2008)

Lol. I like how some people in this thread bash the UFC for not paying the fighters enough even though they have no idea of how much they actually get paid. Hey everybody! Lets complain more about the UFC and Dana White even though we don't know all the facts! 

Bottom line, without the UFC, mma would not even be popular. They take care of the fighters just fine. The fighters also get money from sponserships and fight bonuses.


----------



## Maazisrock (Sep 22, 2008)

Lol you honestly don't know shit.


----------



## chilo (May 27, 2007)

mastodon2222 said:


> What works better than a union is good old fashioned American competition. UFC is trying to get a monopoly so they can continue to pay their fighters peanuts - it's why I support Strikeforce, Fedor, or anyone who challenges the UFC monopoly.


there needs to be a fighters association.


----------



## UrbanBounca (Sep 13, 2009)

The contract is a two way agreement. If you're not willing to fight for the UFC purse, don't sign the contract.


----------



## The dirtnasty (Jun 27, 2010)

You can't compare an mma fighters salary to a professional football player, or basketball player. Main stream sports such as these generate much more revenue how many kobe jerseys are sold compared to how many lesnar shirts. A basketball player competes multiple times a week (in season of course) while a professional mma fighter competes a couple or a few times a year. Granted they are training just as hard putting in as much or even more work. 

I completely agree they should get paid more but until its a mainstream sport where you could go to a sporting goods store and find an mma section (not the row of boxing gloves and heavy bags) after the baseball and basketball section it will still be a tier 2 sport (lacrosse, powerlifters, runners) and they'll get paid like a tier 2 athletes.


----------



## mtt_c (Jun 15, 2008)

but the comparison to boxing is a ridiculous attempt. Neither the WBO, WBA, WBC have fighters under contract, nor do they actually pay their fighters. The fight promoters put up the money and pay the undercards shit, just like everyone else. 
Ironically, if these guys made millions of dollars per fighter, somebody on this forum would bitch about that. Discussion KO'ed!


----------



## evilstevie (Apr 19, 2009)

Anyone who thinks DW is "secretly" throwing bags of money at his fighters above and behind their contract needs to sign up for a CAT scan ASAP. Carwin just blogged that he's making 40k per fight....so guess what....he's making 40k per fight. This is just another example of how DW makes MMA look like a joke sport. That's why you get the equivelant of fat truckers with their shirts on fighting in the UFC; the elite athletes are going to go the the legitimate sports, where they can earn some real money. Yes I'm thinking of Roy Nelson when I wrote that. 

I mean, it is obviously good business practice not to overpay your fighters, but the salary of 95% of these guys who bust their asses fighting in the UFC is a complete disgrace, IMO.


----------



## WOGSY (Apr 22, 2007)

Think of UFC fighters as cars and the UFC as a luxurious top of the range showroom..

These guys want to be displayed in the best showroom possible as that results in more sales, more wages and more exposure for their sponsors but they aren't quite happy with the high rent prices..

Well, if they dont like the price of the rent then they can go and find another cheaper showroom to display their car in or they can go and build their own showroom!!

Making a world class showroom that is visited by people from all over the world aint cheap you know! It requires a massive initial investment and a hell of a lot of risk..


This argument is from Formula1 when then car manufacturers (Ferrari, Mclaren, Ford etc) demanded more money from Bernie Eccleston (the owner of F1) or they were leaving and setting up their own racing organization. 
Guess what happened,, Bernie called their bluff and told them to shove it 
And guess what the manufacturers did, they all shut up fairly quicky and they're all STILL there years later displaying their cars in Bernie's showroom and reaping the benefits


----------



## ESPADA9 (Oct 13, 2006)

paulfromtulsa said:


> someone needs to start a fighters union


Union? Great idea……….
The Union could demand large dues from all the fighters, recruit thousands more fighters regardless of skill level and demand say a $50K minimum salary along with a huge pension fund from the UFC. 
Meanwhile most of the pension fund money will go to political lobbyists who can demand a tax on ticket sales and a cut of the state athletic commission. As with most Unions some this money will go to organized crime or political slush funds.
After the UFC absorbs this added cost to their budget they can have a fight every week, once the MMA fad dies out (due to frequent low quality fights and over promotion) the UFC can file for Chapter 11 and the government can take over and run the UFC.

Nancy Pelosi would be a great replacement for Dana White.

OK, all kidding aside I think the UFC needs more competition from other organizations that are growing and making a profit. I think the sport has become saturated with good quality fighters who make paltry wages, only name recognition makes you the cheddar in this industry.

People read too much into the FIGHT PURSES as if this is the ONLY money a fighter sees.

By this rationale some fighters make $18K a year. Yea right who could survive off of that and incur the cost of training, food, rent, insurance, medical bills, etc.


----------



## cdtcpl (Mar 9, 2007)

Probably won't influence any of you skeptics, but not only does DW pay the headliners more than what is listed, he pays the taxes on all their pay (for all fighters). So when it says Carwin took home 40K, he took home at least that amount. How many employers do you know who do that?

But seriously, for headliners DW does pay them more than listed in their contract in the form of bonuses.


----------



## ESPADA9 (Oct 13, 2006)

chilo said:


> there needs to be a fighters association.


As much as I’m against unions I am in favor of an organization that represents professional fighters and their industry. As long as it doesn’t try and lobby for wages or influence the business end by political means.

If the fighters were organized and represented they would be able to influence the industry and make REALISTIC salary negotiations without involving greedy 3rd party parasites (union bosses, lawyers, etc).

They would also have the ability to seek out more sponsorship and help to further legitimize the sport WITHOUT Dana or any other promoter trying to pull strings.


----------



## Guy Incognito (Apr 3, 2010)

i remember there was a interview with joe riggs and he said he was making close to 200g's a year when he was still with the UFC. they are making money


----------



## michelangelo (Feb 1, 2009)

*Dana White is on the record as having done this (paying a bonus, tax free) for Shogun Rua after his controversial decision loss to Machida, but that's for ONE FIGHTER FOR ONE FIGHT. *

The UFC's gross for the latest PPV is *over $60 million.* How many employers generate this much revenue *12-18X a year?*

DW/the Fertittas often pay out bonuses, but are not obligated to. 



cdtcpl said:


> Probably won't influence any of you skeptics, but not only does *DW pay the headliners more than what is listed, he pays the taxes on all their pay* (for all fighters). So when it says Carwin took home 40K, he took home at least that amount. How many employers do you know who do that?
> 
> But seriously, for headliners DW does pay them more than listed in their contract in the form of bonuses.


----------



## Kreed (Feb 5, 2007)

WOGSY said:


> Think of UFC fighters as cars and the UFC as a luxurious top of the range showroom..
> 
> These guys want to be displayed in the best showroom possible as that results in more sales, more wages and more exposure for their sponsors but they aren't quite happy with the high rent prices..
> 
> ...


great analogy is this from the engine dispute from 2 seasons ago?


----------



## evilstevie (Apr 19, 2009)

cdtcpl said:


> Probably won't influence any of you skeptics, but not only does DW pay the headliners more than what is listed, he pays the taxes on all their pay (for all fighters). So when it says Carwin took home 40K, he took home at least that amount. How many employers do you know who do that?
> 
> But seriously, for headliners DW does pay them more than listed in their contract in the form of bonuses.


ROFL....is that so Dana?

Gimme a break...how would you know? You don't. UFC fighters sign contracts, many of which are subsequently made public, that are for x amount of dollars. UFC fighters sometimes openly talk about their contracts, for x amount of dollars. Now you think, based on DW's say-so, that there's some secret, hidden payment that no one knows about, and that there also exists another secret payment to cover the fighters taxes? WOuldn't it make sense, if you were trying to build a world class fighting organization and attract world class fighters, to incude all of these "secret" payments into the contract in the first place? I'm sorry, but DW is a pathological liar, and I'll believe what the fighters say over what he says any day of the week. There's a reason why Carwin hasn't quit his real job, and it ain't because the UFC is paying him too much money. :/


----------



## Toxic (Mar 1, 2007)

MatParker116 said:


> Several Things:
> 1) Those declared salries are *FAR FROM ACCURATE* both Brock and Shane made millions in PPV and Locker room bonuses which are not declared.
> 2) The UFC insures all fighters against injuries in the octagon.


This needs to be taken into account especially the insurance issue because people really don't realize how much that costs, they had to pay so much in Vancouver that the athletic commission basically said that it would likely prevent the UFC from ever coming back.


----------



## Hammerlock2.0 (Jun 17, 2009)

Fact is top athletes are overpaid. Even fighters in the UFC. Who else can claim to make 40k+ every 4-5 months just to show up and even more if they win? It's a dream job money wise, even if you're not a top guy.


----------



## michelangelo (Feb 1, 2009)

That's only if a fighter is booked to fight 2 or 3 times a year. And it doesn't cover training camp expenses. Nor does it cover medical expenses, which the fighter pays for out of his own pocket during training. Nor is there a "retirement plan" or dental, or...well you get it. 

And if a fighter is injured and can't fight well, they're out $40K, and they're out tens of thousands for training camp expenses on top of that. 

And the typical UFC fighter only fights 2 times before being cut...

Yeah, what a luxurious lifestyle. Oh, and I'm sure a walmart manager has to deal with a broken nose, broken hands, broken feet, concussions, broken/bruised ribs on an annual basis as well. 

Where do I sign up for this gravy train????

Oh, and the majority of UFC fighters make $15K per fight, not 40. 




Hammerlock2.0 said:


> *Who else can claim to make 40k+ every 4-5 months just to show up and even more if they win?** It's a dream job money wise,* even if you're not a top guy.


----------



## Leben-izer (Jul 4, 2010)

I know a couple guys who are room mates with Rory Macdonald, and he claims he made 100K for his last fight in the UFC. So I am assuming Lesnar and Carwin got a bit more then reported here


----------



## diablo5597 (Nov 12, 2008)

michelangelo said:


> That's only if a fighter is booked to fight 2 or 3 times a year. And it doesn't cover training camp expenses. Nor does it cover medical expenses, which the fighter pays for out of his own pocket during training. Nor is there a "retirement plan" or dental, or...well you get it.
> 
> And if a fighter is injured and can't fight well, they're out $40K, and they're out tens of thousands for training camp expenses on top of that.
> 
> ...


So you want the scrubs to be paid top dollar as well? The UFC is a business, not a charity.


----------



## Soojooko (Jun 4, 2009)

Can somebody clarify, who pays for the venue and promotion in Boxing? Is it from the fighters purses, the promoters, who?


----------



## Mx2 (May 4, 2010)

Leben-izer said:


> I know a couple guys who are room mates with Rory Macdonald, and he claims he made 100K for his last fight in the UFC. So I am assuming Lesnar and Carwin got a bit more then reported here


I remember he made somewhere close to 90k, 15kish to fight, and I think 85k bonus for fight of the night IIRC. No secret payments there.


----------



## limba (Jul 21, 2009)

I think Brock cashed in on more than 1 million after this fight: ppv revenues (?), sponsorships. And Carwin will get more than those 40k.

But still...you can't compare boxing to MMA, in terms of fighter salaries. I don't think it will ever happen, for a MMA fighter to cash in on 20 million for a fight. Never gonna happen.


----------



## cdtcpl (Mar 9, 2007)

evilstevie said:


> ROFL....is that so Dana?
> 
> Gimme a break...how would you know? You don't. UFC fighters sign contracts, many of which are subsequently made public, that are for x amount of dollars. UFC fighters sometimes openly talk about their contracts, for x amount of dollars. Now you think, based on DW's say-so, that there's some secret, hidden payment that no one knows about, and that there also exists another secret payment to cover the fighters taxes? WOuldn't it make sense, if you were trying to build a world class fighting organization and attract world class fighters, to incude all of these "secret" payments into the contract in the first place? I'm sorry, but DW is a pathological liar, and I'll believe what the fighters say over what he says any day of the week. There's a reason why Carwin hasn't quit his real job, and it ain't because the UFC is paying him too much money. :/



You make it sound like some sort of conspiracy theory or something. So let me cover the points easily and quickly for you:

1) The UFC pays all taxes on fighters purse money, including FOTN, KO, and Sub bonuses. Fighters have stated this, DW has stated this, and there have even been articles to prove it. 

2) The UFC does pay bonuses to main and co-main eventers (and to other fighters for grudge/etc matches) that they do not release the figures on. Why? Becuase the UFC is a private corp and they do not have to release it.

3) It does make sense for DW to pay the fighters extra because of the extra tasks they have to do. Press interviews, fan expos, meet & greets, selling the fight, UFC countdown, UFC MMA game, etc.

4) I am not saying undercard fighters or anyone like that is getting this money, but do you think Hendo really fought a chump like Bisping and didn't get seriously paid? What about Wandy vs Bisping?

So to sum it up, the UFC is a private corp that will keep as much of its cash flow a complete secret because it can. The only figures we see are the ones they are required to release, which would be fighter purses. Technically they don't even have to reveal FOTN, Sub, & KO bonuses, they just do so to pat those fighters on the back.

I am not saying all UFC fighters are well compensated, or that they are even earning what they are worth. I am only stating what we know based on fighter interviews, DW interviews, and other information previously released. The UFC does pay fighters more than we know, but that amount is between the fighters and the UFC.


----------



## michelangelo (Feb 1, 2009)

Your argument only applies to the *2 or 4 top guys on any given card.* That leaves *another 20 fighters who are making next to nothing*, anywhere from $8K to $15K to show, and a win bonus (which 2/3 of the time they don't receive since the typical UFC fighter loses twice in three fights and is then cut). 

Then you add the FOTN, KOTN, SOTN, and maybe half a dozen guys make over $50K every 3 to 6 months. 

So you've got 16 fighters on a card making $30K or less twice a year, and many of them will be cut within the year anyway. 

In other words, not only are the vast majority of fighters making very little money within the org, they'll be cut from the org within 18 months anyway. 

The reality is, very few fighters are making any money on a consistent basis in the UFC.


----------



## cdtcpl (Mar 9, 2007)

michelangelo said:


> Your argument only applies to the *2 or 4 top guys on any given card.* That leaves *another 20 fighters who are making next to nothing*, anywhere from $8K to $15K to show, and a win bonus (which 2/3 of the time they don't receive since the typical UFC fighter loses twice in three fights and is then cut).
> 
> Then you add the FOTN, KOTN, SOTN, and maybe half a dozen guys make over $50K every 3 to 6 months.
> 
> ...


Your responding like I said they all make bank, I didn't. What I said is that the main draws on the card are well rewarded in ways we do not see. The other fighters are all in that struggle to get to that point. 

While fighting on a UFC card the fighters have insurance for any injuries they get, they get paid their fight purse (an most have a chance to double their money), they have the chance to win 3 bonuses if they really perform, and if they perform well enough they have a chance to launch themselves into the main card spot. 

That is just from the UFC, their sponsors also pay them as well. Why isn't anyone up in arms about how much sponsor pay them?  Oh right, we don't know because those figures aren't released, just like non-fight purse UFC money.

To sum it up, you can't expect to fight once and retire. You have to earn the right to get to that top tier to make the ridiculous amount of cash per fight, but you do get paid.


----------



## michelangelo (Feb 1, 2009)

Forget about the minutiae. The latest PPV brought in over $60 million in buys. They paid out maybe a million in fighter's purses. Let's *TRIPLE* that figure to account for real and/or hypothetical undisclosed bonuses. Even if we did so, the fighters made* less than 5% of the gross revenue. *

*In the NFL, NBA, MLB and hockey, the players get over HALF of the gross revenue.* In other words, *UFC fighters are making 1/10 of what their professional counterparts make CONTROLLING FOR REVENUE AND ASSUMING WE TRIPLE THE FIGHTERS PAY RELATIVE TO DISCLOSED PURSES. *


----------



## Admz (Sep 15, 2009)

All these sports which mma is being compared to have been organized for how many years?

MLB 1869, NHL 1917, NBA 1946
WBA originally National Boxing Association, organized in 1921.
UFC 1993

You just can't compare mma to other sports. mma as an organized sport is still fairly new but gaining new ground very quickly. Payouts are definitely better than they were 10 years ago, Randy Couture and Vitor Belfort fought in UFC 15 for how much? a ham sandwich?

If #1 contenders are still getting paid $40k in another 10 years, than I see the problem. Let's hope we don't have to wait that long to see though.


----------



## vilify (Mar 23, 2010)

MatParker116 said:


> Several Things:
> 1) Those declared salries are *FAR FROM ACCURATE* both Brock and Shane made millions in PPV and Locker room bonuses which are not declared.
> 2) The UFC insures all fighters against injuries in the octagon.


Sorry but thats BS


----------



## evilstevie (Apr 19, 2009)

In responsne to cdtcpl: I'm not the guy who is convinced that there's all this "secret money" floating around the UFC. I stick to the facts only, not silly internet rumors.

1) I've never heard this before in my life. I heard that the UFC did it for Rua. One time only. 

2) Another silly internet rumor. I don't doubt that it might happen from time to time, but it would CLEARLY be the UFC's best interest to ANNOUNCE any payment, to draw more quality fighters into the UFC. That's why DW always discloses the bonuses. It makes no sense for the UFC to make "secret payments" to anyone. It defies logic.

3) Sure it does, and it makes even more sense for the UFC to announce those payments, in order to draw better fighters into the UFC, and to encourage existing fighters to take on more responsibility for promoting their fights. There's no reason for "secret payments".

4) I think Hendo, Wandy, and Bisping got paid exactly what their contracts said they were to be paid, and not one nickel more. It makes no sense for the UFC to do otherwise, and is not logical.

In summary, the UFC is not required to release any information on fighter salary whatsoever. It is in their own best interest to do so, to help generate interest in the sport, both from their fanbase and from the pool of potential fighters. There is no reason whatsover for the UFC to make "secret payments" to anyone, and no evidence that they do so. Dana White is a pathological liar, everyone knows this.


----------



## mastodon2222 (Feb 4, 2010)

michelangelo said:


> Forget about the minutiae. The latest PPV brought in over $60 million in buys. They paid out maybe a million in fighter's purses. Let's *TRIPLE* that figure to account for real and/or hypothetical undisclosed bonuses. Even if we did so, the fighters made* less than 5% of the gross revenue. *
> 
> *In the NFL, NBA, MLB and hockey, the players get over HALF of the gross revenue.* In other words, *UFC fighters are making 1/10 of what their professional counterparts make CONTROLLING FOR REVENUE AND ASSUMING WE TRIPLE THE FIGHTERS PAY RELATIVE TO DISCLOSED PURSES. *


You're a big picture thinker my friend, couldn't have said it better myself, UFC fighters are underpaid, even as the sport continues to grow through the roof.


----------



## Kado (Apr 18, 2010)

Yes, most fighters are underpaid, but in the UFC's defense the sport is still young, and you do not get guarnteed money as "promoters" like boxing personalities do. I would love to see a hike up in fighters pay, but until their is an association for fighters, higher pay will be gradual and not come to the helm anytime soon.


----------



## Rygu (Jul 21, 2008)

Toxic said:


> This needs to be taken into account especially the insurance issue because people really don't realize how much that costs, they had to pay so much in Vancouver that the athletic commission basically said that it would likely prevent the UFC from ever coming back.


For real? I sad.


----------



## cdtcpl (Mar 9, 2007)

evilstevie said:


> In responsne to cdtcpl: I'm not the guy who is convinced that there's all this "secret money" floating around the UFC. I stick to the facts only, not silly internet rumors.
> 
> 1) I've never heard this before in my life. I heard that the UFC did it for Rua. One time only.
> 
> ...


Seriously, go read some artciles, but to help you out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFC_116

UFC 116 wiki, and this comment is on pretty much all the UFC's since they started pulling a profit:

The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the Nevada State Athletic Commission. It does not include sponsor money or *"locker room" bonuses often given by the UFC* and also do not include the UFC's traditional "fight night" bonuses.

The fact that these bonuses are given is not a secret, just the amounts. While DW and the UFC are greedy, and want every penny they can get, they also do take care of their fighters better than a lot of you guys are insinuation. I am not saying they are paid what they are worth, just more than you seem to believe.


----------



## evilstevie (Apr 19, 2009)

ROFL. That wiki says nothing of substance whatsoever. It alludes to "secret payments", which are just another spoke in the Dana White BS cog. I do not doubt that occasionally a fighter or two might get some extra cash, but the notion that these secret payments are a meaningful part of the average fighters pay is patently absurd. Carwin makes 40k per fight, and 95% of these guys are paid squat...that's just the truth.


----------



## cdtcpl (Mar 9, 2007)

evilstevie said:


> ROFL. That wiki says nothing of substance whatsoever. It alludes to "secret payments", which are just another spoke in the Dana White BS cog. I do not doubt that occasionally a fighter or two might get some extra cash, but the notion that these secret payments are a meaningful part of the average fighters pay is patently absurd. Carwin makes 40k per fight, and 95% of these guys are paid squat...that's just the truth.


No, that is just what you want to believe because you believe the UFC is an evil corporation that does not care about fighters. No one other than those in the org know the full truth, but I do know based on consistant comments by both fighters and DW that fighters are often paid way more than their fight purse. Hell in his ESPN article Liddell talks about making enough money to be able to skip a seminar/training camp that would have paid $10K to spend more time with his kids.


----------



## The Lone Wolf (Sep 23, 2008)

MMA is still in the growth period. You think boxing splashed out large amounts of money on fighters purses early in boxing history? NO!

And all these MMA fighters are offered a contract. Which means they got a choice whether to accept the conditions or not. That inclides the salary. Thats not exploitation. Theres other ways of making a living that are open to them. However, they get paid a decent amount of money for doing something they love to do.

Anyone who claims exploitation is a drama queen


----------



## amoosenamedhank (Sep 2, 2009)

ok so let me get this straight... there is still a professionally sanctioned organization that doesn't grossly over pay the athletes and you guys want them to pay them more? So what, they can just be like baseball players who make $3M for taking their morning dump.

Everyone of these fighters signed a contract and agreed to fight for a certain wage. My company undoubtedly could afford to pay me more... but if I agree to work for my current wage, why would they?

Do you all seriously lack all common business sense or what?


----------



## UrbanBounca (Sep 13, 2009)

mastodon2222 said:


> You're a big picture thinker my friend, couldn't have said it better myself, UFC fighters are underpaid, even as the sport continues to grow through the roof.


I'm not denying that the pay is a little low, but like I said, it's a two-way street, and the fighters are *signing* for the given pay. If they don't think they're making enough fighting, they can find a new career. Not to mention, you still can't compare MMA to that of the MLB, NFL, or NBA. MMA is still very young, while every other major sport (organization) is at at least 50 years old.


----------



## amoosenamedhank (Sep 2, 2009)

UrbanBounca said:


> I'm not denying that the pay is a little low, but like I said, it's a two-way street, and the fighters are *signing* for the given pay. If they don't think they're making enough fighting, they can find a new career. Not to mention, you still can't compare MMA to that of the MLB, NFL, or NBA. MMA is still very young, while every other major sport (organization) is at at least 50 years old.


There is no reason any of these professional athletes need to make anywhere near as much money as they do.


----------



## NavyChief (Oct 10, 2007)

marcthegame said:


> lesnar took 400k so i don't know how much carwin took last time i checked it was 45k. But the ufc does exploit fighters, these guys get paid peanuts for there hardwork. Its kinda disgraceful the amount these guys get paid.


Last time I checked this was a free country. Nobody is forcing anyone to sign on the dotted line. If the fighters don't like the way the UFC runs the show or the way their contract reads then they can leave the promotion or not sign the contract. 

Or they can always get a day job like the rest of us.


----------



## VolcomX311 (Aug 18, 2009)

mastodon2222 said:


> Paydays for their most recent fights:
> 
> Pacquiao: $11 million
> De la Hoya: $22 million
> ...


You can also say Pacquiao and/or De La Hoya in many parts of the planet, where non-boxing fans will recognize that name. Try and find a random lay person and say Shane Carwin or Frank Mir and see how much recognition they have. 

Once Carwin, Anderson or Mir become a common, internationally recognized name to lay persons outside the sport, they'll get paid more. 

UFC PPV are primarily bought by UFC fans. Boxing PPV's are bought largely by people who don't really care about boxing, but care about being involved in something exciting, like the super bowl, or like Pacquiao, you just like him because he's Filipino, and an entire country loves him regardless if they like boxing and people pay to watch him fight. 

People will gather for the Paq vs Mayweather fight like people will gather for the super bowl. People who can't stand football will watch the super bowl, and only a very select, elite few have that kind of drawing power. Pac and De La Hoya are not standards of pay outs or averages of what boxers make like you're making it sound like. They are at THEE top of the game. 

Notoriety is the largest factor for earning power. 

UFC and Dana use their fighters blah blah blah, how dead does a horse need to be. They don't like earning a rather luxurious payday relative to our societal standards, cry me fricken river and get a real job and make $45,000.00-$60,000.00. I'd rather feel used earning $400,000.00 then feel appreciated earning $50,000.00.


----------



## michelangelo (Feb 1, 2009)

Only the division champs make $400,000 per fight, if that. 

The majority earn $8K to $15K to show, twice a year, then are cut after 3 fights. 

In the big picture, UFC fighters earn 5% vs. 52% of the gross revenue as in other sports. 

You need to examine and analyze actual data in order to support your opinion. 



VolcomX311 said:


> You can also say Pacquiao and/or De La Hoya in many parts of the planet, where non-boxing fans will recognize that name. Try and find a random lay person and say Shane Carwin or Frank Mir and see how much recognition they have.
> 
> Once Carwin, Anderson or Mir become a common, internationally recognized name to lay persons outside the sport, they'll get paid more.
> 
> ...


----------



## VolcomX311 (Aug 18, 2009)

michelangelo said:


> Only the division champs make $400,000 per fight, if that.
> 
> The majority earn $8K to $15K to show, twice a year, then are cut after 3 fights.
> 
> ...


and only division champs deserve maximum pay outs. You shouldn't get paid out top dollar based on "participation." You get paid if you're good, you get paid more if you're better and you get paid the most if you're the best. 

Nonetheless, regardless of who's right or wrong on the argument of UFC's financial principle's in the way they deal with their fighters, the bottom line in reality is, if it's not paying the bills, get a new job. That's what real people do.


----------



## cdtcpl (Mar 9, 2007)

On a side note - lot of neg rep being thrown my way for this thread :laugh: Anyone else getting a piece of the action?


----------



## Thelegend (Nov 2, 2009)

this op fails to note key points.

1.UFC is not mainstream yet regardles of what you think
2.unlike boxing, each ppv has several fights instead of just one main event.
3.nobody is paying a whole lot more than the UFC, until then these fighters cant really stick up thier nose at 400k can they?
4.the companies that have paid like you want went under pretty fast, i wonder why......
5. there is nothing you have done save for compare mma to boxing which i dont know how you can do when the two cant be further apart when it comes to what they pay.


----------



## mastodon2222 (Feb 4, 2010)

UrbanBounca said:


> I'm not denying that the pay is a little low, but like I said, it's a two-way street, and the fighters are *signing* for the given pay. If they don't think they're making enough fighting, they can find a new career. Not to mention, you still can't compare MMA to that of the MLB, NFL, or NBA. MMA is still very young, while every other major sport (organization) is at at least 50 years old.


True they could find a different career, but wouldn't it be more fair and American if there were a competitive league with UFC who could have enough pull to force the UFC paydays up for the fighters?


----------



## amoosenamedhank (Sep 2, 2009)

mastodon2222 said:


> True they could find a different career, but wouldn't it be more fair and American if there were a competitive league with UFC who could have enough pull to force the UFC paydays up for the fighters?


Uh no but thanks for trying. It's in the free market and there are no laws or any regulations preventing other organization* from succeeding. It's not the ufc's fault no one else can put together a profitable company.

I will never understand why people feel bad for these athletes making all this money already. They can go get a job filling papers for $10.50/hr if they'd prefer.


----------



## michelangelo (Feb 1, 2009)

Well, this is the type of thinking that is preventing fighters from forming a union in the first place. 

What do Dana and the Fertittas do that warrants their "share of the income" which stands at approx. $450 million per Fertitta and $100 million for Dana and 10% more for their Abu Dhabi partner?

It is only the lack of fighter organization which keeps them from earning the type of money they actually generate in revenue. 

The last people I want to see during a UFC PPV is Dana, the Fertittas, or their silent partner in the middle east. 

edit: the "take it or leave it" mentality is so naive and restricting. It's like saying to civil rights organizers: "you don't like being called a N-----? Go back to africa." Uh, no, there are other options, such as staying and changing the system. 



VolcomX311 said:


> and only division champs deserve maximum pay outs. You shouldn't get paid out top dollar based on "participation." You get paid if you're good, you get paid more if you're better and you get paid the most if you're the best.
> 
> Nonetheless, regardless of who's right or wrong on the argument of UFC's financial principle's in the way they deal with their fighters, the bottom line in reality is, if it's not paying the bills, get a new job. That's what real people do.


----------



## UrbanBounca (Sep 13, 2009)

amoosenamedhank said:


> Uh no but thanks for trying. It's in the free market and there are no laws or any regulations preventing other organization* from succeeding. It's not the ufc's fault no one else can put together a profitable company.
> 
> I will never understand why people feel bad for these athletes making all this money already. They can go get a job filling papers for $10.50/hr if they'd prefer.


I would +rep you, but it won't let me. Either way, you're right, they can pick up an 'ordinary' job, and actually _work_ for their pay. Hell, BJ Penn used to barely train at all, fight once a year, and was still making pretty good money.

I remember when Chris Leben was making $8K per fight, but has recently made $85K in his win over Sexyama. It's about establishing your own name, and the majority of fighters haven't done that, especially in such a young sport.


----------



## astrallite (Mar 14, 2010)

*A Union Will Be Necessary Soon*

Why? Look at the NBA in 1995. Two of the sport's best athletes (Jordan, Pippen) made $5 million combined. Revenue had gone up leaps and bounds since the 80s but guess what? Nobody was getting paid anymore. The owners were reaping all the profits. Two years later after a collective bargaining agreement, Kevin Garnett is making $20 million dollars. 

If Dana White makes $100 million a fight a few years down the line, do you honestly believe he will be a "nice guy" and offer fighters some of the cash? No, of course not. He'll just pay enough from keeping his fighters from bolting to other organizations.

Dana isn't evil, all owners and promoters would do the same thing. Without a union, athletes will make what their owners say they make. 

If I own a dairy farm, and milk started selling for $50 a gallon, am I gonna pay my farmhands any more? Hell no. I'll pocket the cash and hope my workers are none the wiser. They have no leverage unless they all get together and tell me they aren't going to work until I give them a raise.


----------



## astrallite (Mar 14, 2010)

Leben-izer said:


> I know a couple guys who are room mates with Rory Macdonald, and he claims he made 100K for his last fight in the UFC. So I am assuming Lesnar and Carwin got a bit more then reported here


You know $85,000 of that was for Fight of the Night, right? Macdonald was gonna make $8,000 otherwise.

It's like the other guy who posted here saying Chris Lytle is a nobody who makes bank because somebody he knew saw his tax returns, when the fact is, he has 7 Fight of the Night bonuses while his guaranteed pay is still garbage. 

"Wow even somebody like Chris Lytle made over $100k last year!"


----------



## MrObjective (May 22, 2010)

*asd*

These aren't just guys off the street. In time, top MMA fighters will be pocketing huge paychecks, hence better young fighters coming in. I would like to see a Rich Franklin, Randy Couture or Frank Mir lead the charge. If UFC wants to reign supreme, get the best fighters, get top level guys coming out of college or high school, from all over the world to pick MMA over boxing, earn some respect as top organizational sport, not to mention humble Dana White and get his 'I am your god' arrogance out of the sport - it's gotta be the fighters that make it happen.

Fertitta brothers, White, the sheik and co have surely lined their pockets enough. I'm not a big union guy, but this is absolute exploitation. Zuffa needs to get equalized. 

I would like to see atleast 75% of the profits goto fighters. I would like to see contracts with the ability to cut fighters based on performance, but with a small base salary, signing bonuses, incentives to all - 
#1 Being of course pay-per-fight 
#2 Winning/losing increases and decrease in pay-per-fight
#3 PPV sharing/ticket sale sharing 
#4 Fight of the night/Submission of the night/KO of the Night
#5 Organizational merchandise/sponsorship sharing

/\
With proceeds weighted based on some sort of ranking structure.


End product: You get a lot more young talent, it'd probably increase fighters wanting to fight frequency (instead of 3 times a year, maybe 4-5 times a year - especially the champions), meaning for fights instead of 1 month droughts of fights like we have currently, better compensation for all (except Zuffa), we don't see fights like Bisping V Akiyama has headlining events, less interference like 'banning Affliction' clothing as if anyone gives a $hit.

Add to that making profitable, self-sustainable organizations UFC South America, UFC Europe, UFC China, UFC Pacific Rim --- so the UFC name spreads like soccer.

**

Major League Soccer players make more money than these guys.


----------



## Celtic16 (Sep 9, 2007)

Ya know what. No offence but I hate these stupid threads on how much fighters make. Why do you care how much carwin makes? Did poor Brock only make 440k this month?

I didn't see Carwin crying about his pay when he was showing off his new sponcered speed boat that was hitched to his 4x4 truck outside his beautiful house. Wheres my speed boat? I can't afford a 4x4 truck just yet... Where's the thread about that?

Be a fan, watch the sport if you're a fan and leave the fighters wages to their accountant.

/end rant


----------



## MrObjective (May 22, 2010)

Celtic16 said:


> Ya know what. No offence but I hate these stupid threads on how much fighters make. Why do you care how much carwin makes? Did poor Brock only make 440k this month?
> 
> I didn't see Carwin crying about his pay when he was showing off his new sponcered speed boat that was hitched to his 4x4 truck outside his beautiful house. Wheres my speed boat? I can't afford a 4x4 truck just yet... Where's the thread about that?
> 
> ...


It's supply and demand. To put it simply your human capital is worth nothing compared to Shane Carwin - people need to get paid what they're worth. There's a reason why top athletes, executives, inventors, business owners and such get paid - they can do and perform in ways other people can't.


----------



## Danm2501 (Jun 22, 2009)

MrObjective said:


> These aren't just guys off the street. In time, top MMA fighters will be pocketing huge paychecks, hence better young fighters coming in. I would like to see a Rich Franklin, Randy Couture or Frank Mir lead the charge. If UFC wants to reign supreme, get the best fighters, get top level guys coming out of college or high school, from all over the world to pick MMA over boxing, earn some respect as top organizational sport, not to mention humble Dana White and get his 'I am your god' arrogance out of the sport - it's gotta be the fighters that make it happen.
> 
> Fertitta brothers, White, the sheik and co have surely lined their pockets enough. I'm not a big union guy, but this is absolute exploitation. Zuffa needs to get equalized.
> 
> ...


75% of the profit to fighters? That is a crazy suggestion, and will never happen in any sport or business. The UFC is a business, and they pay the fighters as well as they can. MMA is a very new sport, and the UFC have only just started making profit. When Zuffa took over, and for a couple of years there-after the UFC was still losing money, and it wasn't until TUF that they actually started making money. You can't expect guys to be being paid Boxing money fighting for a company that's only been in profit for 5 years. It's ludicrous.

Also, most of this 'exploitation' bollocks comes from people who think that the declared purse is all these guys are making, which just simply isn't true. There are a whole range of other payments that the UFC provides the fighters with, that aren't declared. Dana stated that the guys that fought on 116 would be receiving extra cheques to the ones normal guys would get, because of the show they put on. These guys are making more money than the majority of people think they are, if they weren't making good money, they wouldn't do it. I'm sure that fighters to get a percentage of PPV revenue, they do get a percentage of merchandise revenue, and they definitely get a bonus based on whether they win or loss. So the majority of the things you've listed there, already happen, just they're not declared, so we don't know the intricacies of the payments.

Furthermore, how do you expect the UFC to form these new International brands if they're giving 75% of the profits to the fighters? It just isn't feasible with all the other things the UFC has to put that money towards, from the wages of employees that work for them, setting up the UFC Gyms, advertising, etc etc etc. There are just too many things to pay for, for it to make sense for them to give 75% of profits to fighters. Do you want them to go out of business?

In time and should popularity continue to grow, the wages of fighters will increase in-turn. However, it just isn't feasible for Zuffa to be paying out any more than they are now to fighters. You can't honestly expect the Zuffa executives to not take a wage, so that the fighters can get paid more, that's not how business works. These fighters wouldn't be making the money they are if it wasn't for Zuffa taking over the UFC, establishing a brand and massively improving popularity and mainstream acceptance of the sport. You can't now expect Zuffa to run the business for nothing so the fighters get a purse that you think is more acceptable. 1 other thing that is worth considering is that if the UFC was actually exploiting fighters, and under-paying them, they'd go elsewhere. The fact of the matter is, the UFC is the top company to fight for, and hence, pays the best money. It's only in extreme circumstances that guys can make more elsewhere, such as with Dan Henderson for example. The UFC certainly aren't exploiting fighters.


----------



## The Lone Wolf (Sep 23, 2008)

Nothing to do with the UFC here, but take into consideration that the vast majority of fighters have some sort of sponsorship, which will add a nice figure to their already adequate bankroll.


----------



## astrallite (Mar 14, 2010)

Some fighters make a lot of money--nominally, yes. Nobody is crying about what they make. It has to do with profit sharing. In all major sports, athletes make 50% of the profit with the owners. This attracts major free agents. 

It's all about the quality of the product. The elite athletes are not in MMA right now because the financial incentives are not there. The guys who keep jumping into the thread who keep saying "who cares how much they are making?" or "they make a lot of money already stop crying" either don't understand basic economics or are straight up trolling.

If you are paying $50 for each PPV you want the best product. The ones trolling here either 1) don't pay for PPVs and are just streaming off the net or 2) are too drunk during shows to actually figure out what the hell they are watching.


----------



## amoosenamedhank (Sep 2, 2009)

Do you guys not understand it is the owners right to keep what ever portion of the profits he chooses? Maybe his fighters become upset and decide not to fight for his organization any longer... That's the risk the owner takes, but is fully within his right to take.


----------



## michelangelo (Feb 1, 2009)

Do you not understand that there is a difference between legal and moral rights¿

Slavey was legal, but immoral.

In the UFC, paying 5% of the gross revenue to the performers who fans actually care about seeing is legal, but not moral. 



amoosenamedhank said:


> Do you guys not understand it is the owners right to keep what ever portion of the profits he chooses? Maybe his fighters become upset and decide not to fight for his organization any longer... That's the risk the owner takes, but is fully within his right to take.


----------



## astrallite (Mar 14, 2010)

amoosenamedhank said:


> Do you guys not understand it is the owners right to keep what ever portion of the profits he chooses? Maybe his fighters become upset and decide not to fight for his organization any longer... That's the risk the owner takes, but is fully within his right to take.


Yeah no shit. Of course it's in his rights. But MMA fans would like to see the top athletes fight when we put down $50 for a pay per view. With the current pay scale, you have a top heavy talent pool followed by >95% of MMA fighters essentially being cans as far as athletes goes. 

Rashad Evans and Cain Velasquez are considered elite wrestlers in MMA...fact is they barely won half their matches in college and have no chance in an athletic career anywhere else in pro sports other than MMA.

This sport is never gonna go anywhere if the biggest names coming into the sport are past-their-prime athletes from other sports. Brock Lesnar was 30(!) years old when he came in to MMA and people are saying wow, we got an elite athlete in MMA! In 99% of major sports, 30 is considered past your prime, and Brock Lesnar at 30 years old is not what Brock Lesnar was at 23 or 25. 

Chuck Liddell (40!) and Rich Franklin (36!) are headlining a card? Are you serious? 40 years old is like 10 years removed from retiring in almost every sport. That shows you how bad the talent pool is in MMA.


----------



## slapshot (May 4, 2007)

umm of course they exploit fighters, boxing might not be as bad at it for the top guys but its far worse at it when it comes to a track record.

All sports could be described as doing such to athletes, I thought this was a no brainier.....


----------



## BD3 (Jun 8, 2010)

They're getting paid a LOT more than that. Both of them. Don't you worry. :thumb03:


----------



## mastodon2222 (Feb 4, 2010)

astrallite said:


> Yeah no shit. Of course it's in his rights. But MMA fans would like to see the top athletes fight when we put down $50 for a pay per view. With the current pay scale, you have a top heavy talent pool followed by >95% of MMA fighters essentially being cans as far as athletes goes.
> 
> Rashad Evans and Cain Velasquez are considered elite wrestlers in MMA...fact is they barely won half their matches in college and have no chance in an athletic career anywhere else in pro sports other than MMA.
> 
> ...


Yeah, but it all comes down to what the sports market values...there are alot of pudgy 40 year old golfers who make tens of millions of dollars for hitting a little white ball around who couldnt beat their sister in a fight...is that fair? Depends on how you define fair.


----------



## astrallite (Mar 14, 2010)

mastodon2222 said:


> Yeah, but it all comes down to what the sports market values...there are alot of pudgy 40 year old golfers who make tens of millions of dollars for hitting a little white ball around who couldnt beat their sister in a fight...is that fair? Depends on how you define fair.


Wow, did you just compare golf with combat sports? Why not bring up ESPN poker tournaments too?


----------



## mastodon2222 (Feb 4, 2010)

astrallite said:


> Wow, did you just compare golf with combat sports? Why not bring up ESPN poker tournaments too?


I might...it's relevant to the debate at hand - do the best always get paid the most. NO, the don't. Sports is entertainment, if two 40 year old wash ups want to fight for big bucks, go for it,,, it's marketing.


----------



## amoosenamedhank (Sep 2, 2009)

michelangelo said:


> Do you not understand that there is a difference between legal and moral rights¿
> 
> Slavey was legal, but immoral.
> 
> In the UFC, paying 5% of the gross revenue to the performers who fans actually care about seeing is legal, but not moral.


Woah there buddy let's try not to compare slavery to professional athlete's pay scale... I mean seriously?!

Further more, if you don't like where your money is being allocated, stop giving it to the ufc... Problem solved


----------



## MrObjective (May 22, 2010)

Danm2501 said:


> 75% of the profit to fighters? That is a crazy suggestion, and will never happen in any sport or business. The UFC is a business, and they pay the fighters as well as they can. MMA is a very new sport, and the UFC have only just started making profit. When Zuffa took over, and for a couple of years there-after the UFC was still losing money, and it wasn't until TUF that they actually started making money. You can't expect guys to be being paid Boxing money fighting for a company that's only been in profit for 5 years. It's ludicrous.
> 
> Also, most of this 'exploitation' bollocks comes from people who think that the declared purse is all these guys are making, which just simply isn't true. There are a whole range of other payments that the UFC provides the fighters with, that aren't declared. Dana stated that the guys that fought on 116 would be receiving extra cheques to the ones normal guys would get, because of the show they put on. These guys are making more money than the majority of people think they are, if they weren't making good money, they wouldn't do it. I'm sure that fighters to get a percentage of PPV revenue, they do get a percentage of merchandise revenue, and they definitely get a bonus based on whether they win or loss. So the majority of the things you've listed there, already happen, just they're not declared, so we don't know the intricacies of the payments.
> 
> ...


PROFITS, not revenue. revenue - expenses = profit


----------



## Danm2501 (Jun 22, 2009)

I know what profits are. The point is, if they're spending 75% of the profit on fighters wages, then they're going to have to delve into the revenue to pay for advertising, wages of Zuffa employees, etc etc, which in turn results in them losing money, which in-turn prevents them from moving forward and putting money into forming these International brands you'd like to see. It just doesn't make business sense to give the fighters 75% of the profits, which is why it isn't happening.


----------



## _JB_ (May 30, 2007)

You should read this.

http://www.mmaforum.com/mma-exclusives/73417-pay-disparity-between-mma-boxing.html


----------

