Joe Rogan Rips the Win Bonus System in MMA That is ‘Stealing’ Money from Fighters

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While some higher ranked athletes are able to negotiate for a flat fee that pays them the same whether they win or lose, most fighters are stuck under the win bonus system for the majority of their careers.

That doesn’t sit well with Rogan, who has seen more than a few judges blow a decision and then the fighter who just lost goes home with half their paycheck as a result.

“[The win bonus system] to me is a real issue,” Rogan explained on his most recent podcast. “I think a guy should be paid what they get paid. I think if you have a contract, the contract should be for ‘X’ amount of money [and] if you have points on the pay-per-view, that’s on top of that; but the idea that your win or loss could be in the hands of what we have deemed completely incompetent judges.”

The biggest argument for the win bonus system in the past has been fighters will push that much harder for a victory if they know half of their money is tied up in a win or a loss.

Rogan doesn’t buy that theory at all and feels that all fighters deserve to get paid a flat fee to ensure a bad decision or even an erroneous ending to a contest doesn’t rob them of half their paycheck.

“It’s literally like stealing money from these kids,” Rogan said. “I just don’t like the win bonus and I don’t think anybody fights harder for it.”

Rogan has been openly critical of the judges in MMA for many years, often times calling them out for a poor decision on the UFC broadcast.

That’s a big part of the reason why he believes fighters should have a flat fee paid to them rather than depending on judges to make the right call while also controlling half of what an athlete will take home as his or her salary.

“I’ve heard from Athletic Commissions, but I say, ‘go f–k yourself,’” Rogan said about his critical commentary on judges. “There’s guys in there that are fighting for their life. They literally guys train for months and months and someone who literally doesn’t understand martial arts is giving these guys a decision, a loss or a win and that’s 50-percent of their money. That’s crazy!”

“It’s literally like stealing money from these kids,” Rogan said. “I just don’t like the win bonus and I don’t think anybody fights harder for it.”

http://www.mmaweekly.com/joe-rogan-...m-in-mma-that-is-stealing-money-from-fighters

Discuss...
 
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It does save the UFC quite a bit of money. I wonder how much it factors, if at all, in fighters fighting. Obviously it's a motivator but in the heat of the moment it's hard to imagine them giving it much thought
 
He should be speaking out on how bad the Reebok deal is. But...

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This is why they should have a fighter's union.

Especially for UFC fighters, they are the cream of the crop.
 
Show me somebody who doesn't like a win bonus and I'll show you a loser.
 
Good call by Rogan. Someone wanting to smash your face is all the motivation needed for a fighter to want to win.
 
Scrap win bonus, add universal 30% finish bonuses. And make "of the night" bonuses great again
 
The bonus system is supposed to motivate the fighters to go for a finish. However, I think it does the opposite sometimes and causes fighters to be more cautious because they could potentially have their pay cut in half. They should have a flat rate for the fighters and then have a bonus system for finishes, like maybe a percentage bonus based off their flat rate.
 
He’s absolutely right
 
"Show me somebody who doesn't like a win bonus and I'll show you a loser."

I wish I could guild this post in gold. Rogan is totally wrong on this one.
 
The problem isn't the win bonus system. I personally don't like it, but a) I'm a bit conservative and like to know what I'm getting paid personally and b) I see why they do it (to encourage action and "pushing" for a win)

The issue when it goes all wrong is the judges. "Don't leave it to the judges" is rubbish. These guys get paid to judge and make the right decision. If it's marginal, I can see the 50/50 decisions going on way or another, but when it's egregious, that's crap. There are some guys that are durable and no matter how much a person pushes, they just won't get a finish and when the judges are terrible to a point where it's a gamble, the guys can't just do their job. Ref: Leonard Garcia
 
This is why they should have a fighter's union.

Especially for UFC fighters, they are the cream of the crop.

Exactly.

The workers who set up the arena/lights/stage for UFC events are part of a union. Yet the fighters aren’t. lol. What a joke.
 
Finish fights and this wouldn't be a problem.

I think a bigger issue is minimum pay.

If you can fight twice at 20/20 in a year that's potentially 80K plus Reebok money. And still 40K to do something you love isn't exactly bad either.

On the flip side, the UFC could just get rid of win bonuses and just pay the fighters their show money. Is that a better solution?
 
I agree with Rogan here, I've never hurt somebody in a fight and thought about the money and I doubt any other fighter has. Some fighters have a nack for finishing like Ortega and Silva while others like Chael and gsp are great fighters but they're not able to find the finish as smoothly without forcing it.
 
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