***Comparing UFC pay to Golfers***

[wlu.29]

We can't compare UFC fighters to any of the top tier sports, that would not be fair for a number of reasons (A level vs. D level). In all seriousness the North American big 4 leagues are team oriented sports, with players unions, whereas UFC fighters are all individual contractors which is most like golfers and tennis players.

The median income for FEMALE golfers on the LPGA tour (not even counting men on the PGA tour) is $141K, that's factoring in everyone. If you look at the top 10 percent of FEMALE golfers, it's $1.3M

https://work.chron.com/salary-range-women-pro-golfers-2627.html

"According to the most recent LPGA money list, the median income for all players is $141,428. The top 10 percent of players earned a median of $1,320,900 and played in at least 20 tournaments. The lowest 10 percent only brought in $5,924 and may have only played in 10 to 15 tournaments. Median means that half of the players earned more than this amount and half earned less."

This other link talks about a typical #50th best golfer in the world for both men and women, in terms of cash flow:
https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2020/01/11/truth-behind-tournament-paychecks-pga-tour-lpga/

Men #50 take home pay: $1.27M

Women #50 take home pay: $182K


I'm going to take the top 10 in each of the UFC weight classes
https://www.ufc.com/rankings


Men's FlyW: Tim Elliot i'm going to be generous he made $89K in his latest fight, and assume he will have another payday like that in 2021. $178K pre tax, assume taxes of 30%, manager 10%, trainer 10%
Take home pay: $89K
7% compared to top 50 male golfer
71% compared to top 50 female golfer

he could exceed that if he had a 3rd win in the year

Men's BW: Raphael Assuncao
https://www.sportekz.com/mma/raphael-assuncao-net-worth/
$1.35M pre tax gross from 2016 to 2020

Men's FW: Arnold Allen
https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/23359-arnold-allen
Pre tax gross career earnings $164K


Men's LW: Paul Felder
https://thesportsdaily.com/2020/11/14/paul-felder-career-earnings-fox11/
$1.15M pre tax gross covering from 2014 to 2020

Men's WW: Vicente Luque just came off the biggest win of his career, so maybe his future is bright?

https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/03/28/vicente-luque-career-earnings-fox11/
$1.7M Pre tax gross, starting out in 2015 let's say his take home pay after all that time is $1M still less than 1 year of a top 50 male golfer's pay

Men's MW: Kevin Holland
https://mmasalaries.com/kevin-holland-career-earnings-net-worth-and-info/
got a big jump in pay for his Jacare fight, but just lost a fight as the main event guy, suffering a set back. In total pre tax gross of $900K since March 2019. Net pay assumption ~450K for 2 years

Men's LHW: Johnny Walker
https://thesportsdaily.com/2020/09/19/johnny-walker-career-earnings-fox11/
Career earnings $495K, net that out to $250K since Nov 2018
So he's basically taking home a little less than the 50th rank LPGA golfer

Men's HW: Chris Daukaus
https://www.sportekz.com/mma/ufc-252-salaries-purse-payouts/
https://www.sportekz.com/mma/ufc-252-salaries-purse-payouts/
let's just say he hasn't made very much for being


Overall i knew MMA fighters made way less than golfer, but this is really glaring, and even comparing to female LPGA golfers they're still behind.

 

[Jorge Luis Borges]

On what basis do you assume fighters should be making similar money to golfers?

 

[Reign009]

I respect these fighters even more.

 

[Lucas Motta]

MMA fighters pay is extremely low, especially in the UFC if you consider how much money they bring in and the risk they take (fighting careers are not that long). With fighters not being allowed to bring in their own sponsors, they're payed even less.

 

[Lucas Motta]

On what basis do you assume fighters should be making similar money to golfers?

Most of the ones he listed bring in more revenue to the company than female golfers do.

 

[rear naked ankle pick]

Golf is lot harder than MMA

 

[GoGetSomeFansJon]

Khabib, Jones, Fedor, GSP, Silva all have nothing on Shooter McGavin

 

[loisestrad]

The median income for FEMALE golfers on the LPGA tour (not even counting men)

Why would you be counting male golfers on the LPGA tour?

 

[Jorge Luis Borges]

Most of the ones he listed bring in more revenue to the company than female golfers do.

How much revenue do female golfers bring in?

Look, I think UFC fighters are underpaid. So to the extent that this is TS' point, then I agree. But I don't think this kind of example means much, unless you make assumptions that UFC fighters should be paid as much as or more than golfers. I think it is reasonable to ask what the basis of such an assumption is.

 

[HereticBD]

So maybe they should become female golfers.

Life isn't fair.

 

[Benoitthegr8]

Dana and company are straight up crooks, we know this, yet we still watch and love the UFC fights, what does that make us as fans...?

 

[wlu.29]

On what basis do you assume fighters should be making similar money to golfers?

i didn't assume they should be, i am presenting facts of like business models

 

[kflo]

We can't compare UFC fighters to any of the top tier sports, that would not be fair for a number of reasons (A level vs. D level). In all seriousness the North American big 4 leagues are team oriented sports, with players unions, whereas UFC fighters are all individual contractors which is most like golfers and tennis players.

The median income for FEMALE golfers on the LPGA tour (not even counting men) is $141K, that's factoring in everyone. If you look at the top 10 percent of FEMALE golfers, it's $1.3M

https://work.chron.com/salary-range-women-pro-golfers-2627.html

"According to the most recent LPGA money list, the median income for all players is $141,428. The top 10 percent of players earned a median of $1,320,900 and played in at least 20 tournaments. The lowest 10 percent only brought in $5,924 and may have only played in 10 to 15 tournaments. Median means that half of the players earned more than this amount and half earned less."

This other link talks about a typical #50th best golfer in the world for both men and women, in terms of cash flow:
https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2020/01/11/truth-behind-tournament-paychecks-pga-tour-lpga/

Men #50 take home pay: $1.27M

Women #50 take home pay: $125K


I'm going to take the top 10 in each of the UFC weight classes
https://www.ufc.com/rankings


Men's FlyW: Tim Elliot i'm going to be generous he made $89K in his latest fight, and assume he will have another payday like that in 2021. $178K pre tax, assume taxes of 30%, manager 10%, trainer 10%
Take home pay: $89K
7% compared to top 50 male golfer
71% compared to top 50 female golfer

he could exceed that if he had a 3rd win in the year

Men's BW: Raphael Assuncao
https://www.sportekz.com/mma/raphael-assuncao-net-worth/
$1.35M pre tax gross from 2016 to 2020

Men's FW: Arnold Allen
https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/23359-arnold-allen
Pre tax gross career earnings $164K


Men's LW: Paul Felder
https://thesportsdaily.com/2020/11/14/paul-felder-career-earnings-fox11/
$1.15M pre tax gross covering from 2014 to 2020

Men's WW: Vicente Luque just came off the biggest win of his career, so maybe his future is bright?

https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/03/28/vicente-luque-career-earnings-fox11/
$1.7M Pre tax gross, starting out in 2015 let's say his take home pay after all that time is $1M still less than 1 year of a top 50 male golfer's pay

Men's MW: Kevin Holland
https://mmasalaries.com/kevin-holland-career-earnings-net-worth-and-info/
got a big jump in pay for his Jacare fight, but just lost a fight as the main event guy, suffering a set back. In total pre tax gross of $900K since March 2019. Net pay assumption ~450K for 2 years

Men's LHW: Johnny Walker
https://thesportsdaily.com/2020/09/19/johnny-walker-career-earnings-fox11/
Career earnings $495K, net that out to $250K since Nov 2018
So he's basically taking home a little less than the 50th rank LPGA golfer

Men's HW: Chris Daukaus
https://www.sportekz.com/mma/ufc-252-salaries-purse-payouts/
https://www.sportekz.com/mma/ufc-252-salaries-purse-payouts/
let's just say he hasn't made very much for being


Overall i knew MMA fighters made way less than golfer, but this is really glaring, and even comparing to female LPGA golfers they're still behind.

In fairness, there were only 177 money winners on lpga tour in 2020 (there are another 20 who had 0 earnings). Do you know how many more golfers there are than mma fighters?

Also, golfers complain about the revenue share they get as well. It’s well below 20% for their majors I believe. That’s for the men....

 

[wlu.29]

Golf is lot harder than MMA

this is true, however you don't have to worry about CTE in golf

 

[kflo]

i didn't assume they should be, i am presenting facts of like business models

What makes them like business models?

 

[Dingaling]

If these dudes want to get punched and kicked in the head for peanuts, that's their prerogative

 

[wlu.29]

So maybe they should become female golfers.

Life isn't fair.

no one claims it is

presenting facts of comparable athletes in terms of their relationship to a tour/org rather than team based athletes

it is laughable though that a sport that was going to be bigger than soccer, their top athletes are making less than females of a niche sport

 

[Lucas Motta]

How much revenue do female golfers bring in?

Look, I think UFC fighters are underpaid. So to the extent that this is TS' point, then I agree. But I don't think this kind of example means much, unless you make assumptions that UFC fighters should be paid as much as or more than golfers. I think it is reasonable to ask what the basis of such an assumption is.

Women's golf actually brings in no profit. https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2020/03/03/usga-reveals-us-womens-open-loses-millions-annually/
With that being said, I find it absurd female golfers are making that much money, when in reality they bring in very little money. Now, going back to MMA fighters payouts, UFC fighters are highly underpaid for the most part, Uncle Chael was paid 50k to show against Silva in a fight that sold near to 1 million PPVs.

 

[wlu.29]

What makes them like business models?

PGA tour is like the UFC
UFC fighters are contractors like golfers unlike athletes in NHL, NFL, MLB, NHL

 

[Frank McEdgar]

you don't have to worry about CTE in golf