Is UFC Pay too Low Or Other Sports Too High

[Hulk Brogan]

Cos when you consider that fighting 3 x per year = 60k, after deductions that isn't actually a lot of net income. If the UFC can afford to pay everyone a minimum 20k per fight then why don't they?

$60k a year is pretty damn good for someone with no post-secondary education. sounds a lot better than making ~$15k/yr working 40 hrs/wk 50 weeks a year at walmart or staples with the same level of education.

also, employers typically pay their employees based on factors such as the employee's perceived worth to the employer, the ability to find other qualified candidates, the employer's need at the time, and not so much on what they can afford to pay. this isn't unique to mma and is the same practice used by GE, Exxon, Amazon, etc. the fact of the matter is that if you filled a ppv card with nothing but new fighters fresh from the minor circuits, they would barely generate any value for the ufc. and they get paid accordingly.

 

[DaGenius]

The other sports pay definitely isn't too high. Those athletes get paid a percentage of the revenue generated off their work....

 

[Headkicktoleg]

Everyone but me gets paid too much

 

[cartizel]

Undercard boxers make much less than undercard UFC fighters (who are making US$10k/10k in the UFC these days.)

And boxing doesn't have the excuse of being only 22 years old like the UFC.

Point is, you don't get compensated well until you've earned it.

Win some fights. Show that you're worth it. Then get a new contract worth more.

Why is having to earn the higher pay so lost on those who whine and moan about fighter pay?

Far from a whine and a moan. Just giving my opinion to TS.

To compare boxing and UFC. Is silly though. The set up isn't the same. I'm not saying every fighter should make 100k, just feel that a more sustainable base rate would make sense.

 

[cartizel]

Hulk B, that too is a fair point. Again, I'm not saying a noob deserves a 5 fight gig at 100k a pop, just saying that the idea of fighting 2-3 at a 25k starting point isn't financially difficult for the UFC to implement especially when you consider how much money certain fighter are losing thanks to the Reebok deal

 

[MMApocalypse]

los dos

 

[Pr00f]

If UFC fighters want to make more money, they need to unionize and demand more money. The UFC is doing what every other company does. It is the fighters' fault. They shouldn't complain about money in interviews and social media and then sign another contract with the UFC.


To answer the original question, it is a bit of both.

 

[Swing the Axe]

You are only worth what someone is willing to pay you. No one "deserves" anything. "Deserve" is a term best used for socialists.

UFC offers a contract, Fighter X either agrees or looks for a better offer elsewhere if they feel they are worth more (like Askren did). If they can't find an offer that they like, they can always try another profession, that's the beauty of a free society. No one has to be a fighter, it's not a right or a requirement.

 

[Pr00f]

You are only worth what someone is willing to pay you. No one "deserves" anything. "Deserve" is a term best used for socialists.

UFC offers a contract, Fighter X either agrees or looks for a better offer elsewhere if they feel they are worth more (like Askren did). If they can't find an offer that they like, they can always try another profession, that's the beauty of a free society. No one has to be a fighter, it's not a right or a requirement.

100% agree with this.

 

[Zeppeling]

$60k a year is pretty damn good for someone with no post-secondary education. sounds a lot better than making ~$15k/yr working 40 hrs/wk 50 weeks a year at walmart or staples with the same level of education.

also, employers typically pay their employees based on factors such as the employee's perceived worth to the employer, the ability to find other qualified candidates, the employer's need at the time, and not so much on what they can afford to pay. this isn't unique to mma and is the same practice used by GE, Exxon, Amazon, etc. the fact of the matter is that if you filled a ppv card with nothing but new fighters fresh from the minor circuits, they would barely generate any value for the ufc. and they get paid accordingly.

Comparing a dedicated athlete that succeeds in the world's largest MMA promotion to a career flunk that fucks off at walmart is an embarrassment. If you have so little respect for the fighters then do us all a favor and quit watching. Other careers have career longevity, retirement, 401k, health insurance. Other careers also don't require physical injury in preparation of a single moment that can win or lose your earnings. Shame on you...

 

[Ube]

Ideally, combatants--fighters, boxers, people who get brain damage for a living--should be head and shoulders above any basketball player, football player (maybe not), soccer player, etc etc with regard to salary.

They just should. They put it all on the line for our entertainment. These pantomimes of ball and field don't compare to a very real punch to the temple or the unconscious writhing of a choked human. Helmets and pads and technical fouls for glaring? Yeah, ok.

However, this is business. If a golfer puts more asses on the seats, he will get paid more. And that, the consumer decides with the money he/she sacrifices.

 

[Zeppeling]

You are only worth what someone is willing to pay you. No one "deserves" anything. "Deserve" is a term best used for socialists.

UFC offers a contract, Fighter X either agrees or looks for a better offer elsewhere if they feel they are worth more (like Askren did). If they can't find an offer that they like, they can always try another profession, that's the beauty of a free society. No one has to be a fighter, it's not a right or a requirement.

Not true. "Looking somewhere elsewhere" would lead to a different promotion that pays less. UFC can get away with it because there is no union. The same was true for nfl, nba, mlb before unionized. Sports teams will always try to pay the smallest amount, same is true for UFC. They will get scraps until they collectively bargain.

 

[burningspear]

The athletes ARE the product, the reason we tune in, they deserve to receive the lions share of the income. The UFC is a fuckin' joke in this respect.

 

[vintagemmafan]

no, I couldn't believe she had the nerve to criticize someone like Brady who is arguably the best ever at what he does while she failed every single day to do her job

and by the time I graduated, she got the can anyways

I like sport's and respect the fact that the athlete's have sacrifised their time and energy to get where they are in their careers, but I do like to keep it in perspective, in reality what they do doesn't contribute anything to mankind where as a scientist or reseacher,inventor are constantly making advancements and breakthroughs in science and technology to help mankind, most of them anyway's.

I can't stand the ignorant loud mouth low IQ thug scum in the NFL and NBA, these waste of skin make rediculously large sum's of money while the people that should be propped up in society are not even given the time of day by the general public, I also could care less about the argument about how the league's generate so much money so therefore these player's should become multi multi millionaire's, the best player's of each league should make no more than 3 million annually and the rest of the revenue should go towards other important issue's facing our society because after all it is the fan's that support these sports and without them their would be none.

 

[bowened]

It's not a "one or the other" situation.

The ufc could most likely afford to pay a lot of its fighters more.

Mainstream sports leagues like the NBA, NFL and MLB aren't exactly struggling financially. It may bother people that players get paid so much, but they bring tremendous value and the payout structure works fine for those writing the checks.

 

[eiyuu]

Not true. "Looking somewhere elsewhere" would lead to a different promotion that pays less. UFC can get away with it because there is no union. The same was true for nfl, nba, mlb before unionized. Sports teams will always try to pay the smallest amount, same is true for UFC. They will get scraps until they collectively bargain.

There's no union in boxing. You'd think those athletes would have unionized by now since their undercard fighters get paid less than UFC undercard fighters.

Not going to happen for either Boxing or MMA though. The top guys get the big paydays and they're not going to jeopardize that.

 

[bowened]

They put it all on the line for our entertainment.

I don't think there are very many fighters who are that altruistic. We get to tune in to watch, but let's be honest, they signed up for their own reasons. I doubt that ensuring Ube and Bowened are entertained ranks above things like money and an insatiable appetite to compete for most fighters.

 

[vintagemmafan]

It's not a "one or the other" situation.

The ufc could most likely afford to pay a lot of its fighters more.

Mainstream sports leagues like the NBA, NFL and MLB aren't exactly struggling financially. It may bother people that players get paid so much, but they bring tremendous value and the payout structure works fine for those writing the checks.

You mean tremendous value to the agents and league because they don't bring that much to the fan, other than maybe a few moments of excitement.

 

[bowened]

You mean tremendous value to the agents and league because they don't bring that much to the fan, other than maybe a few moments of excitement.

No, I mean tremendous value to the owner/ownership group. That value goes far deeper than "a few moments of excitement."

 

[bowened]

You mean tremendous value to the agents and league because they don't bring that much to the fan, other than maybe a few moments of excitement.

The other thing to note is they don't have to bring that much value to fans. I don't know of a single fan who ever paid $20 million to watch Lebron James play basketball. Not one. It's probably not worth it to anybody to spend that much. Dan Gilbert on the other hand needs to fill an arena 50-60 times each year. He'll gladly pay that to Lebron to help accomplish that. He'll also pay unrecognizable players $800k to a few million to stay in top shape, be fluent in the team's play and be ready to jump in at a moment's notice (or as the average fan would reduce it to, ride the bench).

People love to downplay the value of guys at the bottom of the bench, but as we saw in the playoffs, their role is also important in making the owner money. When Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving went down, a bunch of no-name pine-riders stepped up and helped ensure that the owner got more games out of the season, all the way to the finals. That's the value.