The Bad Side of Higher Fighter Pay - Gaethje

[Ghostoftheville]

You have the option to become a ballerina. That's not what I meant. Use your brain.

You made the empty statement.
Some of the top players in the nba are being told they have to get the vaccine in order to play in specific locations, not doing so will cost them for every game missed. As of today only a few top players are holding out while highest paid players complied.

Another is demanding to be traded, his pay is being withheld until he participates in practice and games.

 

[avenue94]

But for champions I think there should be a minimum of 2 fights per year clause.

Thats the standard contractual requirement for UFC fighters. And you know the UFC would never handcuff themselves like that, it defeats the purpose of controlling belts and rankings

 

[MCS]

Thats the standard contractual requirement for UFC fighters. And you know the UFC would never handcuff themselves like that, it defeats the purpose of controlling belts and rankings

Do you mean by this that they can still strip the champ even if he fulfills that 2x per year requirement?

 

[HHJ]

I’m not advocating it, but this was exact point Dana White had at that summit where he made a speech.

Dana's been saying it for years,that its going be harder to make fights when the money goes up.

Ive heard him talking about this over 10 yrs ago,before Conor was even in the UFC

 

[HHJ]

Do you mean by this that they can still strip the champ even if he fulfills that 2x per year requirement?

UFC can ALWAYS strip someone if they want. Thats how the contract is made. They would probably need a good enough reason though. Public opinion would go against them if they just stripped titlists they didnt favor,like Aldo or Stipe.

 

[avenue94]

Do you mean by this that they can still strip the champ even if he fulfills that 2x per year requirement?

No, you have to be offered a fight every 6 months if don't want to be tolled or cut (specifically, giving the UFC an option to cut).

But also, belts are pretty much little league trophies by design. The UFC could tomorrow slap a belt on a preliminary fighter or strip a champ because they didn't like their hair cut.

 

[MCS]

No, you have to be offered a fight every 6 months if don't want to be tolled or cut (specifically, giving the UFC an option to cut).

But also, belts are pretty much little league trophies by design. The UFC could tomorrow slap a belt on a preliminary fighter or strip a champ because they didn't like their hair cut.

I asked it poorly. I'm curious about the handcuffing part you mentioned. As in, OK, champs have to fight 2x a year. But the UFC wouldn't handcuff themselves like that?

 

[avenue94]

I know. I asked it poorly. I'm curious about the handcuffing part you mentioned. As in, OK, champs have to fight 2x a year. But they wouldn't handcuff themselves like that?

The huge advantage with the UFC having no regulations for belts is it gives them leverage against fighters. You'll notice the UFC doesn't do official #1 contender bouts anymore (Anik might say a bout has "title implications"). Part of that is it let's the UFC drive down fighter costs by playing contenders off each other (hey, we know you want a shot, but this other fighter is willing to do it for 100k and you're asking for more than that).

Or for the 2 fights a year thing. Say Conor or some huge draw has a belt, but they say they only want to fight once a year. If the UFC was forced to strip they'd be leaving huge amounts of money on the table since a huge PPv draw will create more revenue than 4 or 5 bog standard title fights.

 

[Ramon Antonio]

UFC can ALWAYS strip someone if they want. Thats how the contract is made. They would probably need a good enough reason though. Public opinion would go against them if they just stripped titlists they didnt favor,like Aldo or Stipe.

Fans would love it if they stripped Aljo though.

 

[MCS]

UFC can ALWAYS strip someone if they want. Thats how the contract is made. They would probably need a good enough reason though. Public opinion would go against them if they just stripped titlists they didnt favor,like Aldo or Stipe.

Like turning down fights, not fighting when the UFC wants them to, asking for more money. None of those are good reasons to me to strip them though, unless they repeatedly decline fights.

I don't think the UFC cares much about public opinion. And it's not like the reporters in this sport question them about it.

 

[HHJ]

Like turning down fights, not fighting when the UFC wants them to, asking for more money. None of those are good reasons to me to strip them though, unless they repeatedly decline fights.

I don't think the UFC cares much about public opinion. And it's not like the reporters in this sport question them about it.

Well Stipe sat out for long periods,and openly disdains Dana White. Aldo did the same. I am sure that the UFC cant WAIT for those guys to lose the titles,but,they did not strip them,even though you knew publicly they were at odds.

 

[HHJ]

Fans would love it if they stripped Aljo though.

Im sure the UFC is not happy about the situation,but they are holding out for the rivalry to heat up to boiling point probably.

 

[MCS]

The huge advantage with the UFC having no regulations for belts is it gives them leverage against fighters. You'll notice the UFC doesn't do official #1 contender bouts anymore (Anik might say a bout has "title implications"). Part of that is it let's the UFC drive down fighter costs by playing contenders off each other (hey, we know you want a shot, but this other fighter is willing to do it for 100k and you're asking for more than that).

Or for the 2 fights a year thing. Say Conor or some huge draw has a belt, but they say they only want to fight once a year. If the UFC was forced to strip they'd be leaving huge amounts of money on the table since a huge PPv draw will create more revenue than 4 or 5 bog standard title fights.

I think in the past it's been up to the UFC if they want to enforce the stripping because of not defending. They can pick it as a reason out of many to justify it.

The Lombard stuff was messed up. Fighters should have a better manager than that.

 

[avenue94]

I think in the past it's been up to the UFC if they want to enforce the stripping because of not defending. They can pick it as a reason out of many to justify it.

The Lombard stuff was messed up. Fighters should have a better manager than that.

To be clear, the UFC entirely owns belts. That's always been the case. It's one of the reasons they fight the Ali Act everytime it comes up.

 

[MCS]

Well Stipe sat out for long periods,and openly disdains Dana White. Aldo did the same. I am sure that the UFC cant WAIT for those guys to lose the titles,but,they did not strip them,even though you knew publicly they were at odds.

It matters how much they generate. If it's a lot they don't want to strip them. Stipe didn't pull much. "Greatest HW ever". Meh, lose once and never heard again. Aldo became a fairly big star, those Brazil cards were insanely amped up. They still don't want him to be dropped from rankings, they make suggestions for it for whoever intern does the rankings.

Liking them on a personal level would be secondary. Though they have been big on loyalty in the past, like with Chuck, Hughes and Forrest getting those jobs at the UFC without a real job description.

 

[MCS]

To be clear, the UFC entirely owns belts. That's always been the case. It's one of the reasons they fight the Ali Act everytime it comes up.

It's also why the belt should be defended I think a minimum of 2x per year. It's their belt, affects their promotion. Without those defenses the divisions don't move, so contenders don't get their title shots, which means they don't get paid. Less title fights on cards. Champs not defending is bad for the UFC, bad for the fighters and bad for the fans.

 

[Pancake Sprawl]

Once again, Fury got into cocaine and stopped giving a fuck after his title reign. Got suspended as well and didn't fight for three years.

Since his return, he has fought 3 times in 2018, twice in 2019, once in 2020 due to COVID. Then the legal stuff with the Wilder contract came up.

This "they don't fight because they make too much money" thing is just propaganda created by Dana to justify shit pay and get baffoons in the fanbase to go along with it. You are a UFC shill so am not surprised you are going along with it. Canelo and Floyd were fighting top opponents.

Floyd fought Canelo Álvarez, Marcos Maidana, Manny, Cotto

Canelo is fighting the likes of GG, Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders, Caleb Plant

Yes obviously all these guys are just bums.

or, the 2 guys you named are just anomalies?

 

[Hellowhosthat]

Fighting less frequently is good for lengthening careers. You can't fight the way Gaethje fights 4 times a year and have a long career.

 

[Franklin U.]

That's definitely a big part of the problem. I dont side with either party but it becomes the nature of the beast. A beast that is so un parallel to any mainstream sport.Though " business and economic " majors will come on and say different.
Just STFU.

 

[spaceman3005]

Fans like to stand behind the fighters and support their demand for higher pay. At the same, it is common that once fighters are making a lot of money, they need and are willing to fight less. It is rare these days to see champions defend more than twice a year. Some do so only once, or less, milking their value at the top with all that comes from it. It happened in boxing too, and had disastrous results. This creates a lethargic pace in divisions, particularly compounded with things like injuries and so on.

Here is a clip of Gaethje saying exactly this: 1-2 fights a year is what he wants, now that he is consolidated, considering what he is getting paid. He doesn't need to fight more. Of course, this is good for the fighters. But not so much for the fans, who have to witness champions and top paid athletes sit out milking their market worth and cashing one or two big paychecks a year. Not everyone is like this, but it's the trend.

So starving wages are the solution to this problem ?

How about a well structured promotion rules ? Force them to fight more by other means, not just the threat of having them go broke.

If the champs are healthy and refuse to fight the contender, penalise them, or strip them.

There are ways around this, you don't have to threaten anyone with being broke or homeless in order to get them to fight.

That is like saying you have to cut social security so that the poor go back to work for starving wages instead of incentivising people to do the work by other means.