'Bitter' Volkmann plans to 'expose' the UFC

You maybe don't have an athletic bone in your body or were never recruited, never had passion to do something that would consume your life with some sort of end in mind like the NFL, or MLS, or the UFC.

That's what it's compared to, that's what Dana White compares the UFC to, and that's supposedly what his dream is, or was at some point in the past. To bring that sort of legitimacy to MMA.. Right now the guy is more of a mind to cash in, and that's great for him..

But this is the consequence of that.. The money has to come from someone's pockets. Being a fighter as a livelihood is for a very small percentage of people, and among that small percentage only a small percentage of them will make it to the UFC.

It's ultra competitive to just make it on a card, so when you say Volkman aint ****, I'm saying I know he isn't Anderson Silva but he's still a high calibre fighter that earned several fights in the UFC, an accomplishment few people can brag about in the world. I don't think you understand how good the lowest calibre guy is today, let along a guy who has several fights in the organization.

Maybe you don't fully comprehend fighting for a living buddy? :!:
It's an incredibly challenging and stressful thing to do.

:good

Always love jabs with you Haggis.

 

Imagine yourself in those shoes.

What if you were super talented and good enough to make it with some work? Do you think the state of MMA is good when guys with potential like that think there isn't enough money in it so they decline, and keep doing it more as a hobby or never take it more serious than amateur local shows?

Part of the dream of being a fighter is being able to get paid to do it. If you make it to the Big League it pays ****, and on top of that you end up a heaping wreck in the end as a result.. Why bother? It's horrible for the sport. Volkman's story is kinda reminiscant of IP Man where the dudes are fighting for their lives for bags of rice. Volkman was just making enough to support his family/ to eat.

Do you think young up and coming fighters will be motivated by this? Get clobbered for 50g's then thrown to the curb because you fought when you were ill? Maybe kicked to the curb for not fighting while ill? If I read this and I were the average parent of an MMA loving kid, that might influence whether I let them take part in certain things. I'm not that parent, but I imagine there are.. It's not a good thing..

 

Bitter **** :-(

 

Fedor fought in 2003...it would be like watching Fitzsimmons v Tyson

Evans is too slick, too black

:-(

 

Show me where I called you a ****.

Even though you're being one I have never said it.

Grow a brain.

 

Why can't the UFC hire these guys like regular employees and pay them $50k a year and a health insurance package?

 

This is the nub of the issue. You get paid what you are worth to an employer.

End of the day most people in combat sports have to have second jobs. Its not that hard if you are a successful professional athlete to get work as a personal trainer making a decent hourly wage without taking away too much time from your own training. Its not like someone lied to him and has taken advantage he knew the wage beforehand.

 

End of the day, Dana White himself said he wanted to elevate MMA to mainstream. This is a single entity raking in millions of dollars at every event, raking in heaps of money during promotions.

It's not about how valuable a person is when you have a monopoly, it's what you can get away with paying them.. In normal business where you are competing against rivals the former is true, but when you have a monopoly the latter is true.. Right now, the UFC has a monopoly on elite MMA. Plain and simple. The UFC is the big leagues of MMA. It's kinda like stepping up from AAA ball to the pro's and getting a 5 dollar raise and zero security in your job.. Your job as a mechanic, teacher, or clerk pays you 40k a year, hell if you are kinda smart and work in medicine as something like say a pharmacist or nurse, you might be clearing 60-70k. Why would you go pro full time and get paid less, have virtually zero job security?

You tell people it's about what they are worth because that's what somebody told you, maybe you are underpaid because you don't understand your own value or don't understand the dynamic of monopolies.

 

Dude I've been wanting to tell you this since the beginning of this thread, of all the people that have posted about this issue, IMO, you are the only that is spot on ! :good


Couldn't have said it better...!

 

not with a wife and 3 kids it isn't. Welfare recipients in the US make close to 60k when you factor in all the health and food benefits they get plus they pay ZERO income taxes.

 

But they don't have a monopoly really do they, not long term anyway (as you say). If they are paying so poorly it would not be hard for another organisation to come along and that is the truth of it. I would love them to pay more, I couldn't give a **** how well the UFC does as a business as long as they are putting on good fights. Just got to be realistic these guys sunk a lot of money into the UFC for a long time and now they are getting their return. Hopefully as the UFC continues to develop they will up wages.

Also like I said being a professional fighter is not always a full time job as MANY prove. The gym I train at is also the gym of the Australian Cruiserweight champ, he still works everyday. End of the day most guys keep their regular job and then add however many grand they are earning a year on top. Regarding that last part not really applicable to me.