***Comparing UFC pay to Golfers***

[wlu.29]

With $70 PPV cost that prevents people from seeing Ngannou fight, Tiger Woods destroys pretty much every MMA fighter in terms of bank account as well

for this exercise i didn't even focus on the top money earners like tiger and conor

i was specifically comparing ufc fighters at #10 relative to a #50 on the LPGA tour

 

[reviv4l]

"hitting a ball with a stick". You can belittle any sport by saying things like "throwing a ball through a hoop". The fact is that golf is infinitely more difficult to make it to the big leagues vs. MMA. I don't see this changing anytime soon, and in fact, the barrier to entry to the UFC is lowering with the huge roster and DWCS.

Yeah, yeah, got ya. Golf so difficult, mma so pleb.

 

[pv3Hpv3p]

not sure what relevance that has?

people are going to BJJ class, boxing class, muay thai class, paying $100 or more a month

Just excited to go golfing, my man. The winter is long in Minnesota

 

[Truk]

Lol - I love how people are really this clueless. This is why betting on MMA one of the easiest sports to bet on. You are betting against people like this.

So you think that because the difference in talent between two athletes is harder to see in one sport than the other it implies that its a more difficult sport to master?

 

[samoajoe]

Perhaps the fighters should go try thefe hand at golfing.

Sorry not gonna feel bad for people making 6 figures. even someone like Tim Elliot who isn't really a known fighter is making enough to live very comfortable on.

 

[TheNinja]

Just a horrible example.

Tell me how much money the PGA tour makes and how much goes to the golfers vs how much money the UFC makes and how much goes to the fighters.

Golfers make a lot more money in general b/c it's harder to be a pro golfer and they bring a lot more money into their company/TV deal than UFC guys do.

It's supply and demand vs how much money you bring in.

 

[Oblivian]

So you think that because the difference in talent between two athletes is harder to see in one sport than the other it implies that its a more difficult sport to master?

I think golf is much more difficult to make it to the top in because it is blatantly obvious. Golf is probably one of the hardest sports out there to master and the # of participants is huge. Making it to the top is incredibly difficult.

Also, how is it not obvious that the barrier to entry in MMA is incredibly low? It's such a young sport that the # of competitors isn't even in the ballpark of major sports. You've got guys making it into the UFC that were bar brawlers that picked up MMA and have a handful years of experience training while also working. Lol - good luck at that in golf.

 

[Deleted member 465145]

10-20 tournaments/year is ridiculous compared to 4-5 fights. They’re similar in that they’re not unionized but that’s about it. Notice how the tour also allows sponsorships with major companies and is televised on a major network most of the time. There’s just more money in golf and they all compete for one pot, instead of individually contracted prize money. A guy who finishes 20th three times is bound to make more money annually than the vast majority of successful UFC fighters

 

[Jerry48044]

Golfers play every week during their season

 

[Jerry48044]

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.

 

[Truk]

I think golf is much more difficult to make it to the top in because it is blatantly obvious. Golf is probably one of the hardest sports out there to master and the # of participants is huge. Making it to the top is incredibly difficult.

Also, how is it not obvious that the barrier to entry in MMA is incredibly low? It's such a young sport that the # of competitors isn't even in the ballpark of major sports. You've got guys making it into the UFC that were bar brawlers that picked up MMA and have a handful years of experience training while also working. Lol - good luck at that in golf.

I'm don't disagree with what you said here except that golf is harder to master as a skill set. The level of competition that is required to be at the top in golf is leagues above mma, but that doesn't equate to harder to master. Mastering 10 complex movements will always be harder than mastering one. If the level of competition was equal between golf and mma, it would be harder to be the top guy in mma. There's just more to learn.

 

[Jerry48044]

A PGA golfer has to play in a minimum 15 events a year, so if Tim elliot fought 15 times he would make 1.3 million a year.

 

[Ezekiel 25:17]

Golf is lot harder than MMA

Ya, I never realized how hard it was walking from one hole to a other. Luckily my friend finally decided to get a kart. Cheap asshole.

 

[HereticBD]

So you think that because the difference in talent between two athletes is harder to see in one sport than the other it implies that its a more difficult sport to master?

It's apples and oranges in terms of individual talent. The only thing I would say is that some can get by in MMA at a respectable level, with freak athletic genetics and a C-level fight game. Shit, you could simply have an iron chin and an iron fist, and string together a decent winning streak to get a shot in the big leagues of MMA. There's no such genetic/physical advantage in Golf. You either got what it takes, or you don't. The entry level bar for talent in professional MMA, is a lot lower than Golf.

 

[Ezekiel 25:17]

"hitting a ball with a stick". You can belittle any sport by saying things like "throwing a ball through a hoop". The fact is that golf is infinitely more difficult to make it to the big leagues vs. MMA. I don't see this changing anytime soon, and in fact, the barrier to entry to the UFC is lowering with the huge roster and DWCS.

I agree 100, it is more difficult to make it into the big leagues. However, there are few sports more difficult to train and prepare for both physically and mentally than MMA. Trying to perfect your long drive or put game is exponentially different than trying to learn rudimentary Jits or kickboxing. There's a reason most of my friends would rather golf on weekends then come roll or spar in the gym lol.

 

[Super Grover]

Women's golf actually brings in no profit. https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2020/03/03/usga-reveals-us-womens-open-loses-millions-annually/

That article is speaking about USGA run events, specifically the US Open. It doesn't say at all what you claim it says.

 

[HereticBD]

Ya, I never realized how hard it was walking from one hole to a other. Luckily my friend finally decided to get a kart. Cheap asshole.

That's like saying you rolled and sparred for a few days in a BJJ class, so MMA is easy. Anyone is capable of doing the bare essentials of either sport. Becoming elite is a different story.

 

[storeybuckle]

Golf is lot harder than MMA

Not harder on your well-being. I love golfing but there are no comparisons to be made. They are polar opposites of each other. One sport you put your life on the line and the other one you can wear watch and gold chain

 

[Oblivian]

I'm don't disagree with what you said here except that golf is harder to master as a skill set. The level of competition that is required to be at the top in golf is leagues above mma, but that doesn't equate to harder to master. Mastering 10 complex movements will always be harder than mastering one. If the level of competition was equal between golf and mma, it would be harder to be the top guy in mma. There's just more to learn.

It's incredibly misinformed to think golf is just one movement.

 

[Truk]

It's apples and oranges in terms of individual talent. The only thing I would say is that some can get by in MMA at a respectable level, with freak athletic genetics and a C-level fight game. Shit, you could simply have an iron chin and an iron fist, and string together a decent winning streak to get a shot in the big leagues of MMA. There's no such genetic/physical advantage in Golf. You either got what it takes, or you don't. The entry level bar for talent in professional MMA, is a lot lower than Golf.

Agreed, but like I said to the other guy. Level of comp doesn't equate to level of skill required. If comp level was equal between golf and mma, it would be harder to get to the top in mma.