Should all UFC fighters make $30000/year + their fight money?

If each UFC fighter had a base salary of 30K per year, paid out monthly, then the lower end UFC fighters could have some stability and reliable income in between their fights. Seems like 30K/year isn't too much for the UFC to handle, only 18 million per year for its 600 fighters.

It made ~40 million on the last Conor PPV.

 

If each UFC fighter had a base salary of 30K per year, paid out monthly, then the lower end UFC fighters would be out of a job

 

What is the incentive of doing this for Zuffa?

 

Better trained athletes, more people wanting a UFC job / to train MMA.

 

Does anyone think Anthony Christodoulou should have been paid that well? I don't.

 

I mean why would they want to do this vs. just upping show + win bonus? It's a logistic nightmare. All fighters under contract get this $30k? A guy on the shelf for an entire year gets a $30k base while someone who fights 3 times that year has the same base? A fighter could literally just collect his $30k and claim he is too injured to fight while making money on the side coaching or in another job. They obviously want to pay based off of work being performed for reasons like this.

 

How do you know what Zuffa made for 189 ?

 

you're a fucking dope if you think the fertitta's couldn't make that happen. an extra 15-20 million in expenses sounds like a lot, but it's doable.

And yes

 

It would seem to even the playing field a bit, at the top you have guys that can train full time, have the best coaches, horsemeat, doctors, etc..

At the bottom you have guys that have to work construction or favela scrapping full time.

Getting a "UFC deal" is not nearly like getting an NFL minimum contract ($435,000). Even though a lot of guys on NFL minimum contracts will probably never see the field, guys on UFC minimum contracts fight about as much as champs (1 or 2 fights a year).

 

^^^^^this. The roster would shrink from 600 to 300 or less. Pay per view prices would double. Tickets to events would double.

Would I like to see fighters make more money? Absolutely. I think the UFC brass is more concerned with their own lifestyle than the struggles of most UFC fighters at this point.

A base salary would never work. What if you get hurt? What if you don't fight for a year or longer? Does UFC making them clock in and out of a training facility? Too many variables.

 

So.... we'd get a trimmed roster and solve the oversaturation problem that all the fans complain about?

consistently paying the fighters a reasonable wage would just be a good idea. IDK if 30 is the magic number, but it's a good idea.

 

So they should just increase their payroll and expenses by $18million? This is prize fighting, pay is based largely on performance. A base salary is for a office job

 

Where did I imply they couldn't do it? I'm implying they obviously won't if it's not profitable for them. The UFC doesn't exactly have a problem with their roster being too small, about as many fighters are regularly released as fighters are signed.

 

i'm not sure, actually. I was angrily typing as my boss was talking about some stupid shit and just kind of overreacted. Sorry bout that.

 

Are you suggesting that the UFC start treating them as employees? They aren't employees, they are independent contractors. And part of the reason why is because of how the pay is structured.

 

Bellator HW champ got 17.5K base pay for defending the title. It was his only fight last year.

So why would UFC pay more even to no name fighters just signed from some regional show?

 

I think 50% of the fighters should get a second job at Walmart between fights

 

That'd be pretty cool, but I doubt that'd happen any time soon without a union forming.

 

You didn't address my points at all. What is the incentive to change from performance based to a salary base? It causes a lot of potential issues as I mentioned. Here is another issue. They sign fighters simply as fill ins when someone is injured. These fighters would likely never get another chance. Do these fighters get the $30k? I just don't see MMA wanting to stray from a performance based prizefighting model. The only org that I'm aware that has done this is IFL.

 

Maybe up the contracts to 15/15 rather than 8/8.