Will Benson Henderson's Defection Seduce Younger Fighters?

Bellator has shown little interest in signing young stars.

There weak effort at signing Aljo showed how much they value guys without name value.

They had a chance to sign an elite young talent with the personality and skill to arguably the #1 fighter in the world. Yet they seemed to put more effort into signing Chris Leben.
 
Coker only pays guys big money that made their name elsewhere.
 
GordaoPreguico said:
Seducing young fighters is a no no. Just ask Hermes Franca.
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You win my thread. Epic response.
Meathead Jock said:
And Joe Warren, King Mo, and Michael Chandler.
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I remember King Mo making $10k in his win again Joe Vedepo and $15k in his win against Linton Vassell last September. I'm sure there were some "backstage" bonuses involved, but still. Chandler made like $95k against Alvarez, who had a pretty big name attached to him, and then later $25k against Will Brooks. Tito Ortiz made $300k to Stephan Bonnar's $100k and Liam McGeary's $50k in both fights. I'm sure Kimbo and Shamrock made a killing as well. Joe Warren's never had a reported payout from what I can find, but I specifically remember him talking about the financial toll of training camps that cost him $10k.
 
Reebok deal is shit, if you sign with Bellator at least you can get go out there and get more sponsor money. For Bendo the fight money maybe about the same for both companies but the sponsor money should be a big difference, Bendo been a top fighter for a long time so I'm sure he can get sponsor's easy, much more money then Reebok.
 
Young fighters are going to want to go to the UFC where there are minimum 10k/10k contracts and post-fight bonuses and more exposure. Bellator still has minimums of 1k/1k.

It is the veteran fighters and guys with a name who will be more likely to be influenced by seeing Benson get a good deal. Especially since being able to have sponsors back for an established guy will almost certainly mean more than the Reebok deal brings in and probably a lot more.
 
I know as soon as I heard about the defection, I took my pants off. Fucking seduced, I was.
 
Entry level Reebok money is what, $2500? Plus the lowest tier UFC contract of 10K/10K.. There were guys fighting at Bellator 142 (McGeary vs Ortiz) for 2K/2K. An unknown fighter isn't likely to get more than $2500 in sponsorship, much less enough to make up for the the guaranteed 6K extra they would get to show in the UFC, much less win.

Bellator isn't competing purse wise for up and coming talent, and the only people the Reebok deal hurts are established stars. So the only people tempted to go to Bellator for more money would be guys who are already famous enough to have Bellator outbid the UFC for purses, and have enough notoriety to get large sponsorships. Not young talent.
 
Seduce? Defect? GTFOH
 
teamfox223 said:
Reebok deal is shit, if you sign with Bellator at least you can get go out there and get more sponsor money. For Bendo the fight money maybe about the same for both companies but the sponsor money should be a big difference, Bendo been a top fighter for a long time so I'm sure he can get sponsor's easy, much more money then Reebok.
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You're missing the point of the thread. It's no secret that an established fighter can jump ship and, with their name brand, make a big salary from Bellator on top of big sponsor money. I'm wondering how this will affect younger fighters and prospects; would they rather take the guaranteed UFC money, or do they see a future in Bellator, building their name there and shopping for sponsors.
skombolis said:
Young fighters are going to want to go to the UFC where there are minimum 10k/10k contracts and post-fight bonuses and more exposure. Bellator still has minimums of 1k/1k.

It is the veteran fighters and guys with a name who will be more likely to be influenced by seeing Benson get a good deal. Especially since being able to have sponsors back for an established guy will almost certainly mean more than the Reebok deal brings in and probably a lot more.
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That brings up another issue I was wondering about; is the business model of picking off top UFC talent a sustainable possibility for Bellator? The more old men and vets they pick off, the less money is going to go to the average Bellator guys, at least that's what I'd imagine.
 
the_details said:
Entry level Reebok money is what, $2500? Plus the lowest tier UFC contract of 10K/10K.. There were guys fighting at Bellator 142 (McGeary vs Ortiz) for 2K/2K. An unknown fighter isn't likely to get more than $2500 in sponsorship, much less enough to make up for the the guaranteed 6K extra they would get to show in the UFC, much less win.

Bellator isn't competing purse wise for up and coming talent, and the only people the Reebok deal hurts are established stars. So the only people tempted to go to Bellator for more money would be guys who are already famous enough to have Bellator outbid the UFC for purses, and have enough notoriety to get large sponsorships. Not young talent.
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Yea the fact people act like every fighter is getting 100k in sponsors every fight is hilarious.

Bellator prelims aren't even on TV. Young fighters aren't turning down a guaranteed 10/10 or 12/12 plus 2.5 in sponsors and the possibility of one of those 50k bonuses for 4/4.
 
Xtal said:
That brings up another issue I was wondering about; is the business model of picking off top UFC talent a sustainable possibility for Bellator? The more old men and vets they pick off, the less money is going to go to the average Bellator guys, at least that's what I'd imagine.
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Edit...Didn't see first part was not to me so I edited it out and part of my reply

New fighters wouldn't be able to get much in sponsors at Bellator since having a name and the Fox air time is what sponsors look for. And starting pay and bonuses (or lack of) is not competitive right now for the younger guys in Bellator. They're much better in the UFC early in their careers.

Bellator however is backed by Viacom. So I don't think Bellator vets are taking the financial hit because they have decided to get more aggressive lately in the free market. The money is available.

And If they decide they want to be more aggressive going after prospects and shelling out the money they certainly have the means. But it makes more sense for them to build from the top down in the short run. If they are serious about competing though at some point they will have to do both.
 
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Xtal said:
I remember King Mo making $10k in his win again Joe Vedepo and $15k in his win against Linton Vassell last September. I'm sure there were some "backstage" bonuses involved, but still. Chandler made like $95k against Alvarez, who had a pretty big name attached to him, and then later $25k against Will Brooks. Tito Ortiz made $300k to Stephan Bonnar's $100k and Liam McGeary's $50k in both fights. I'm sure Kimbo and Shamrock made a killing as well. Joe Warren's never had a reported payout from what I can find, but I specifically remember him talking about the financial toll of training camps that cost him $10k.
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I know King Mo just made 300K to win that tournament. Sure it was Rizen instead of Bellator; but if they're going to let you go fight over there it doesn't really matter who is signing the check. No clue what he normally gets, but they push him hard enough I just assumed his paydays are decent. DC has said numerous times that he was close to being homeless without a penny to his name and that King Mo financially supported him until he hit major paydirt with the UFC and UFC tonight; so Mo has to be doing alright if he can take care of himself and still have some left over to help out DC (pre 300K Rizin money)

Yea the loss hurt Chandlers pay but he is still getting paid good for a guy who is 155lbs and isn't the champion in secondary org.

Joe Warren - again its a guess, but they did give him a coaching gig on the reality show plus this site says his net worth is $3 million http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-athletes/mma-net-worth/joe-warren-net-worth/
 
Meathead Jock said:
I know King Mo just made 300K to win that tournament. Sure it was Rizen instead of Bellator; but if they're going to let you go fight over there it doesn't really matter who is signing the check. No clue what he normally gets, but they push him hard enough I just assumed his paydays are decent. DC has said numerous times that he was close to being homeless without a penny to his name and that King Mo financially supported him until he hit major paydirt with the UFC and UFC tonight; so Mo has to be doing alright if he can take care of himself and still have some left over to help out DC (pre 300K Rizin money)

Yea the loss hurt Chandlers pay but he is still getting paid good for a guy who is 155lbs and isn't the champion in secondary org.

Joe Warren - again its a guess, but they did give him a coaching gig on the reality show plus this site says his net worth is $3 million http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-athletes/mma-net-worth/joe-warren-net-worth/
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Dude you blasted the Ufc for Nate Diaz listed payout yet now are defending Bellator for Mo and Warrens low payouts, hypocrite much?

BTW all 3 guys have the same manager and, not sure about Warren, but reportedly Mo and Nate got big signing bonuses.
 
Aaron Pico was Bellators biggest prospect pickup
 
Evangelion said:
Dude you blasted the Ufc for Nate Diaz listed payout yet now are defending Bellator for Mo and Warrens low payouts, hypocrite much?

BTW all 3 guys have the same manager and, not sure about Warren, but reportedly Mo and Nate got big signing bonuses.
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Wait what? I'm defending Warren's low payout? Where has it been reported he gets paid low?

As for Nate all i've said was he is grossly underpaid if he didn't get a signing bonus; i've said i'm skeptical that he didn't get one but Nate and Nick have been on podcast asserting to the fact that there wasn't one and what you see is what it is. I don't believe the Diaz story but if its true then the salary deserves to be blasted and thats what i've always said. If Mo goes on a podcast and starts spouting off that he only makes 15/15 and that he didn't get a bonus then i'll be saying the same thing that (as with Nate Diaz), he is underpaid for the amount of name value he brings to the company. But yea I also was citing the 300K King Mo just won over a 2 fight tournament vs opponents that he was heavily favored over.
 
"Defect", as though they should be loyal and stay. This is the free market. A man has fulfilled his contractual obligations as an independent contractor and now has the opportunity to get a better deal somewhere else. He has the right to take it if he wants. I won't say that loyalty doesn't matter, but a fighters window of opportunity is small and he should make as much as he can in that short time.
 
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