MMA is similar to many sports, including boxing, bowling, skiing, skating, and even golf. It is a tough career choice and only the top guys/girls make any real money. Lots of guys play for years on the fringe of the PGA tour and scrape by.
Some interesting facts regarding UFC pay, all from 2018:
- According to the business insider, only 19 out of 21,000 professional fighters manage to make millions of dollars
- In 2018, the annual salary of the UFC fighter was around $138,000 ($68,000 median income) which is a lot more compared to the $45,000 yearly salary of the average full-time worker in the US
- However, over 37% of UFC fighters (around 213) were paid less than the average American worker
- What’s more, only 187 UFC fighters were able to secure six-figure salaries
Bottom line is that making a living in most sports is difficult and MMA is no different. So yes, Dana was correct, it is a difficult career choice.