So it went from 20k to 21k. A 5% increase.
But thanks to the pandemic, central banks are printing money like crazy, including the Fed. Inflation in the USA is already above 5%, so 21k is already less than 20k 2 years before.
First, you are correct, in "real dollars" (adjusted for inflation) they are making less now.
But...
That's not how inflation works. Central banks aren't printing money like crazy, and even if they were that money wouldn't do much to cause inflation. It has more to do with the federal funds rate in the US with the federal reserve bank, and similar mechanics in other countries. Though the federal funds rate doesn't CAUSE inflation, it tries to set inflation at a certain rate. Inflation is more naturally occuring in an economy and it's cause is not any 1 thing. In fact there are goods and services that are deflating all the time. Inflation is just the overall trend of the cost of a bundle of goods and services over a period of time.
Ironically, a little inflation is a good thing for the economy because of the way the global markets work and currency exchanges, etc. Normally the target is about 2% for a "healthy" economy. 5% after a pandemic is actually probably a good thing. It increases short term spending.
That all said, you were making a point about the UFC fighters getting screwed by the Venom deal worse than the Reebok, and you are correct for the reasons you stated. I'm sure it's a better deal for the UFC though, which is turn could mean fighters are earning more in their base pay and other bonuses--assuming there is a positive trend in revenue sharing.
But I digress.
You are mostly correct in what you are saying and I agree with your overall point.
Venom deal is shit.