- Joined
- Feb 20, 2012
- Messages
- 12,185
- Reaction score
- 4,994
Maybe it's just me, but I see Benson Henderson migrating to Bellator and Aljo Sterling potentially moving there too as a big, big deal.
At first, fighters who were being fed crumbs by the Baldfather never had much of a choice nor bargaining power regarding their paychecks. Plus, the fact that they could get their own sponsors made it a no-brainer for them to be contracted with the UFC. Even mid-tier fighters like Brendan Schaub made 200,000$ per fight in sponsor money. Mighty Mouse had a neat sponsorship with Microsoft X-box. Pretty much every relevant fighter had his short plastered with sponsors, and that was their main source of income. It's not like they relied much on the 5k/5k minimum salary (that was generously bumped to 10k/10k after the reebawk deal) that the Baldfather used to grant them.
Enter the Reebok deal clusterfuck. Aside from the cute stuff like Giblert, Anderson Aldo, Anthony "The Mauler" Pettis ... now we're starting to see the real repercussions of the Reebawk deal.
As the sport is evolving, fighters are starting to take their MMA careers more seriously, and a lot of dissenting voices are being increasingly heard regarding fighter pay. Pretty much every single fighter on the roster is complaining about fighter pay in one way or another, from established fighters like Cerrone, to rising prospects like Aljo Sterling, to the legion of journeymen making fun of Sage's loss and bringing up fighter pay. The only exception to this rule are mega-draws like Conor and Ronda, and fighters with a cult following like Nick Diaz.
Before the Bendo move to Bellator, only washed up fighters used to go to UFC's main rival promotion. For the first time, we're seeing top talent move to Bellator in their prime, and this is huge.
As the 7 year Reebok deal progresses and top fighters who don't draw much start to look after their financial interest, we'll see more and more top talent move to Bellator.
The Reebok deal is officially one of the most shortsighted deals in the history of sports. A good promoter does not a good businessman make.
I won't lie though, I'm enjoying every second of this Reebok trainwreck as it unfolds.
At first, fighters who were being fed crumbs by the Baldfather never had much of a choice nor bargaining power regarding their paychecks. Plus, the fact that they could get their own sponsors made it a no-brainer for them to be contracted with the UFC. Even mid-tier fighters like Brendan Schaub made 200,000$ per fight in sponsor money. Mighty Mouse had a neat sponsorship with Microsoft X-box. Pretty much every relevant fighter had his short plastered with sponsors, and that was their main source of income. It's not like they relied much on the 5k/5k minimum salary (that was generously bumped to 10k/10k after the reebawk deal) that the Baldfather used to grant them.
Enter the Reebok deal clusterfuck. Aside from the cute stuff like Giblert, Anderson Aldo, Anthony "The Mauler" Pettis ... now we're starting to see the real repercussions of the Reebawk deal.
As the sport is evolving, fighters are starting to take their MMA careers more seriously, and a lot of dissenting voices are being increasingly heard regarding fighter pay. Pretty much every single fighter on the roster is complaining about fighter pay in one way or another, from established fighters like Cerrone, to rising prospects like Aljo Sterling, to the legion of journeymen making fun of Sage's loss and bringing up fighter pay. The only exception to this rule are mega-draws like Conor and Ronda, and fighters with a cult following like Nick Diaz.
Before the Bendo move to Bellator, only washed up fighters used to go to UFC's main rival promotion. For the first time, we're seeing top talent move to Bellator in their prime, and this is huge.
As the 7 year Reebok deal progresses and top fighters who don't draw much start to look after their financial interest, we'll see more and more top talent move to Bellator.
The Reebok deal is officially one of the most shortsighted deals in the history of sports. A good promoter does not a good businessman make.
I won't lie though, I'm enjoying every second of this Reebok trainwreck as it unfolds.
Last edited: