Why do fighters have to negotiate for a fight when they are already under contract?

[Toad Rogan]

This is specifically for title fights or main events. Tons of times I've heard fighters talk about the UFC needing to negotiate with them for big fights. If the fighters are already under contract for whatever amount they agreed to why do they get to negotiate for more?

Conor is the obvious example - he's under contract for however many fights but every single fight he talks about the UFC needing to make pay him more or give him partial ownership. DJ is another example where he said he wouldn't fight Dillashaw unless the UFC gave him a 7 figure payday.

 

[TheSpider]

They wanna get paid by cheap UFC

 

[WHITE ANDERSON]

UFC as real as it gets, anyone any time any place any where

the only reason is THEY SCARED

 

[Gabe]

Good question. Fighters get paid the same per fight and shouldn’t have a say in who they fight if they are employed by the UFC.

 

[BEATDOWNS]

This is specifically for title fights or main events. Tons of times I've heard fighters talk about the UFC needing to negotiate with them for big fights. If the fighters are already under contract for whatever amount they agreed to why do they get to negotiate for more?

Conor is the obvious example - he's under contract for however many fights but every single fight he talks about the UFC needing to make pay him more or give him partial ownership. DJ is another example where he said he wouldn't fight Dillashaw unless the UFC gave him a 7 figure payday.

One aspect could be PPV points.

 

[Soul On Ice]

They aren't required to fight, they just can't go elsewhere and fight

Conor can do what he's doing because he doesn't need to earn a living off the UFC, he can say "pay me more or i'm just gonna sit out"

Other fighters can leverage the UFC when the UFC want them to fight a certain opponent really badly, they aren't require to fight who the UFC want them to, they can just request a different opponent
DJ tried this when they wanted him to fight TJ and he fought Cejudo

Comes down to leverage

 

[Crom Cruach]

Good question. Fighters get paid the same per fight and shouldn’t have a say in who they fight if they are employed by the UFC.

They are NOT employed by the UFC. They are independent contractors.
You can't have your cake and eat it Dana.
Fighters can refuse a fight bout and, if they are popular fighters, then the UFC needs to make it worth their while not to. Most of the time the UFC are happy to do this because popular fighters draw in more sales anyway. plus they are fucking over the guys who are not so popular.

Ask yourself why you hate the idea of an athlete getting paid what the market says he is worth. Are you a communist that hates Capitalism, or something.

 

[SeattleFightFan]

UFC makes more money if they fight.

Fighters know this.

So fighters know UFC will negotiate.

UFC *could* play hardball. But if fighters don’t fight, neither party makes money.

It’s a dance.

But it’s only a dance if fighters have negotiating power. Only a few do.

 

[Repusman]

First of all, the reported earnings are not all the fighters earn. Perhaps this is true of the lower level fighters but certainly not the case for the others. THe contract for them is like a retainer which they get money for since they are not allowed to fight in other organizations.

Second, managers will negotiate different deals for different fighters. So for the better fighters, their contracts will all be different with a myriad of different stipulations for each different fighter.

Regardless, all will have non-disclosure agreements so that these fighters are not allowed to tell other fighters what they make giving the UFC more leverage and also keeps us Sherdoggers in the dark about what they really make.

 

[acannxr]

DJ is another example where he said he wouldn't fight Dillashaw unless the UFC gave him a 7 figure payday.

DJ also wanted it written that Dillashaw would make weight, and in spite of the UFC/Dillashaw guaranteeing it, they wouldn't back it up by putting pen to paper. Fighting the champion above his weight class justifies a contract negotiation, that's not a typical Flyweight contender.

 

[2004 account]

Conor renegotiating every fight shows what a greedy person he is. He hasn't won a fight in years, he shouldn't have any leverage.

 

[Juventud]

Because there's a contract clause UFC has to offer a fighter 3 fights a year or something.

And the fighters are only allowed to turn down the 1st fight offered generally, but they then have to take the next fight or sit out 1 of their 3 offers.
I remember some fighter breaking it down.

 

[Mr.Maelstrom]

Whether in the cage or the boss's office, you have to use leverage

 

[TheNinja]

It happens in all sports. Le'Veon Bell sat out a whole year while under contract. Many athletes lobby for new contracts before their old ones are even up or threaten to hold out.

 

[Beans & Cornbread]

I think they make a contract giving them x amount of fights per time frame. Then they must negotiate the terms of each individual fight.

 

[EzekielFromMount]

Good question. Fighters get paid the same per fight and shouldn’t have a say in who they fight if they are employed by the UFC.

*independently contracted by the UFC

 

[ignorant MMA fan]

I'm guessing that contracts only have guaranteed minimums written into them and go with a cross the bridge when we come to it approach as individuals climb to higher profile slots/events.

 

[Boomb]

They wanna get paid by cheap UFC

This, to one extent. But if the UFC is so cheap why did they sign the contract in the first place?

 

[smalliebiggs]

because the idiots sign for too many fights for cheap but change their minds mid contract

 

[GiSP]

I think they make a contract giving them x amount of fights per time frame. Then they must negotiate the terms of each individual fight.

To the best of my knowledge that is exactly the deal. Why wouldn’t TS understand different pay for fighting different levels of opponents on different spots on the card. Like Smith’s pay dropping from $300K to a number about 10 times lower than that.