I'll say it straight out. I'd rather that the bulk of the money went back into the promotion rather than into the pockets of the fighters. I don't want to see a sport full of spoiled multi-millionaires who don't have a financial need to fight and want to fight cans until they get a title shot. I would wish the newly-crowned champions to be reasonably wealthy men, and the great/highest profile champions and ex champions to be multi-millionaires. But I would rather that they earn the bulk of their money from sponsorships and endorsements. For someone on the level of a Chris Leben or a Michael Bisping, a solid, reliable contender with a good fanbase who never won the title, I think that an income of 100k-150k in the cage for 3 or 4 good fights in a year is reasonable. It's a young sport, and fighters on this level have opportunities to use their name for extra income with coaching, personal appearances etc as well. And they have enough contacts in the fight business to set themselves up after their career in the cage is over. For someone below the level of a Leben or a Bisping, I'm sorry but you are not close to being at the top of your chosen career field, a field which is highly competitive with room for only a handful of men at the top. If you are not pleasing the paying customers and winning your fights against a steadily-improving standard of opposition then IMO you are entitled to no more than a living wage. :hat
The promotion for the time being in order for the sport to reach it's potential.. By that point, more than enough to go around, plenty for everybody. One of those Fertitas claims that fighters on these undercards are making more than boxers on undercards on average.. I would tend to agree.. Haven't seen a single payout below $6,000 since they started releasing figures. Chris Leben probably makes that much, and Bisping is certaintly making 6 figures annualy.. The man just signed an 8 fight deal too.
Yeah I don't see any reason at all why Bisping should have a seven-figure income inside the cage. :hat
He'll get a tip of the hat and e-pat on the back from me if he wins his next two fights :thumbsup I kinda like the guy.
I like him too, even though he's a dick. He's an entertainer, and you watch the fights to be entertained. But I don't think he's good enough at his job to collect millions per fight. :good :hat
Jose Aldo has been that good, but I'm sure he's gonna have to do a couple more title defenses. It's only fair. Any idea who Mark Hominick is fighting next? Almost had an orgasm in that 5th round.
Leben banks quite a bit due to his style, appeal, and Dana White loves him. I think UFC fighters are making enough. No sense in a boxer raking $50,000,000 a fight.
If there's no promotion then there isn't any fights, therefore fighters will get zero........... pretty easy answer really.
promotion. the UFC has been re-investing for years. they have a sound business model. SF seemed to have some plans in mind for the future but then zuffa gobbled them up. as soon as the fighters earn too much then why fight 3 times year. fight once for 20 million and maybe come back in 2 years. its not a team sport, unlike football, no one can take your place and there isn't an organisation forcing you to fight the other participants 38 times a year. there also doesn't seem to be the mentality of tennis where sharpness is key and they want to enter every tournament even though they are well off. anyway, as the UFC grows so do the pay cheques and bonuses so no one can really complain. most people who complain live an idealist utopian world where everything is fair but in reality human beings are inherently bad natured. the champion will not defend his belt when he is a multi millionaire and his no1 contender could give him a loss.... ...it would become boxing and boxing for the most part is a mess.
agree with this for the most part but i think a fighter recently signed to the ufc should be making enough to cover rent, food and training so they can direct all of their efforts into fighting without the burden of having to go work a full time job as well. a standard deal should be 4 fights per year for 50 grand. if theyve got the goods and the ufc wants to resign them after that then they should be elevated into the low 6 figures and so forth imo yep this pretty much sums it up.
