Yeah it was called collecting sponsors. Athletes and/or their managers would put some leg work in getting sponsors to help fund them to a point where sponsorships were the primary source of income for many, not all, that far exceeded what the UFC paid. Especially those that got the coveted monthly or quarterly stipend. Some of them actually put work into it but outside of social media the pickings were slim unless you ended up on a wheaties box.
Also fighters were complaining that such endeavours were interfering with their training regime and losing focus cost them in the cage. A not unreasonable claim when the UFC's own PR team were pushing fighters like Cody Garbrandt to push themselves through various means to get his numbers up to hit certain metrics.
It's fine if you push and expect the fighters to self promote but you don't get to do this and then complain that they aren't the same due to "fame" and/or "on social media too much" and use that as a bargaining chip during contract negotiations when they inevitably are bested by a fighter at a similar level or slightly above who does practically none of those things.
I don't think you're picking on it at all. but I do think this goes back to some of the points I've made an other similar topics. At the end of the day the athlete and the UFC are supposed to be business partners. It doesn't take a union or a federation when for instant the Reebok deal got introduced to tell the UFC hell no. every single one of the athletes sat down and took it like a good boy in fact many of them well actually happy because they didn't have to put in the extra work to self promote. That's not how the relationship is supposed to work and if you just sit there you get what you deserve.
If these athletes actually wanted to get things done when it came to putting themselves on equal footing with the UFC.
they should just start up and leaving after they finish up the contracts go to oneFC bellator ksw Japan ECT. This is the fight business and too many of these people obsessed with prestige of competing in the UFC.
I don't think anybody would argue that the UFC has the most potential money in it for a athlete to make but if you do choose to do business with other promotions it's not just about the money. This is a partnership between the athlete and promotion. What can the two of you, do for each other? Perhaps potential sponsorship opportunities with the parent company of the promotion or maybe you can go out and do other combat sports or maybe you have some type of product you are trying to sell and perhaps you can get in cage advertising at a good deal or perhaps even a commercial.
[8:10 PM]
It also doesn't help that as a community the fan base and the athletes themselvesdid absolutely nothing but help the UFC in the early days when athletes called them out on bad business practices like Frank and Ken Shamrock Tito Ortiz BJ Penn Jens pulver Randy couture ect.
Almost all of them got nothing but shit from the fanbase and other fighters for going against the UFC.
I don't put x heavyweight champion Rico Rodriguez because the genius got sponsored by a rival casino... And that was just stupid. I could totally see why the UFC would be upset.
Sorry for rambling and back to what you said about self promotion these guys compete three times a year I'm sure they can find the time.
It always seems to me like whenever this subject comes up the UFC or people in general in the community will nitpick on whatever angle currently best suits their argument but then backtrack and later claim the opposite in a different argument when that angle fits their argument best.
Sorry if I seem like I'm picking on your comment. It's not really meant to come across that way. It was just a good jumping off point.
I don't think you're picking on it at all. but I do think this goes back to some of the points I've made an other similar topics. At the end of the day the athlete and the UFC are supposed to be business partners. It doesn't take a union or a federation when for instant the Reebok deal got introduced to tell the UFC hell no. every single one of the athletes sat down and took it like a good boy in fact many of them well actually happy because they didn't have to put in the extra work to self promote. That's not how the relationship is supposed to work and if you just sit there you get what you deserve.
If these athletes actually wanted to get things done when it came to putting themselves on equal footing with the UFC.
they should just start up and leaving after they finish up the contracts go to oneFC bellator ksw Japan ECT. This is the fight business and too many of these people obsessed with prestige of competing in the UFC.
I don't think anybody would argue that the UFC has the most potential money in it for a athlete to make but if you do choose to do business with other promotions it's not just about the money. This is a partnership between the athlete and promotion. What can the two of you, do for each other? Perhaps potential sponsorship opportunities with the parent company of the promotion or maybe you can go out and do other combat sports or maybe you have some type of product you are trying to sell and perhaps you can get in cage advertising at a good deal or perhaps even a commercial.
It also doesn't help that as a community the fan base and the athletes themselves did absolutely nothing but help the UFC in the early days when some athletes called them out on bad business practices like Frank and Ken Shamrock Tito Ortiz BJ Penn Jens pulver Randy couture ect.
Almost all of them got nothing but shit from the fanbase and other fighters for going against the UFC.
I don't put x heavyweight champion Rico Rodriguez because the genius got sponsored by a rival casino... And that was just stupid. I could totally see why the UFC would be upset.
Sorry for rambling and back to what you said about self promotion these guys compete three times a year I'm sure they can find the time.
