Will Benson Henderson's Defection Seduce Younger Fighters?

Kinku said:
I heard about Pico, has he fought yet?
Click to expand...

Nope; the Olympic Trials are in April. If he doesn't make the Olympic Team (he is ranked 2nd amongst Americans and only 1 person gets to go) he should be fighting this Fall. If he finds a way to beat Brent Metcalf (and others) we won't see him until the Winter as a result of the Olympic Games. I rented the iPPV that had Cejudo vs Tony Ramos (will also be an MMA star sooner than later has been hand groomed from Coach Izzy from a young age) and Pico vs Metcalf, I didn't see enough from Pico to make me think he can handle Metcalfs man strength; but he has 8 months to try and figure out a plan and is young so who knows.

Pico.PNG
 
Xtal said:
Title is the question. We all know that quite a few veteran fighters are displeased with the Reebok deal, and those with established names in the UFC can leave to hit up Bellator, lend them their name brand, make good pay and have sponsorship freedom. Thomson and Henderson aren't some low level bums by any stretch of the imagination and will definitely be among the highest paid in the organization; Thomson's last reported UFC payout was $85k in a loss to Tony Ferguson, and claims he is making more in Bellator.

We've seen some low pay in the UFC for newer fighters, but we've also seen regional circuit guys fight in Bellator make in the hundreds of dollars, while longtime veterans like Manhoef and others only make $10k or less on main card fights. Do the recent defections to Bellator extend to the lesser known fighters who don't have that kind of name brand bargaining power and big sponsors, or even younger fighters with a lot of hype behind them?

LKgdNUd.png


fmyDruD.jpg
Click to expand...


Josh didn't claim he's making more now than he did in the UFC.


He is making more now than UFC offered him when he had to resign on a 3 fight losing streak.

Your thread sucks.
 
Coker seems more focused on guys with names already. Young guys will still have a hard time getting more money than the UFC offers.
 
LongTermLurker said:
Coker seems more focused on guys with names already. Young guys will still have a hard time getting more money than the UFC offers.
Click to expand...
Sadly this. Although i'd love to hear how much was paid to lock up the rights to Pico, Ruth, and Fortune to those long term deals.
 
These athletes should zero loyalty to an organization since the are independent contractors in reality. Obviously they should make sensible decisions based on total compensation and future employment, but we're talking about a profession that already has a very narrow window of opportunity and can come to an end through injury in a split second. Those that may have opportunity in post fight career roles have to weigh those relationships as well. If purely based on current compensation, they should most likely go where it will be the greatest if none of the other factors come into play. If they don't agree with the treatment the UFC is giving, that is one way to make a stand.
 
Meathead Jock said:
Sadly this. Although i'd love to hear how much was paid to lock up the rights to Pico, Ruth, and Fortune to those long term deals.
Click to expand...
Good point. Coker does shop for prospects as well but seems less of his focus. The non-'main shows' seem like after thoughts for Bellator at this point. Sadly the big cards are all focused on retreads and has beens.
 
He didn't defect, they let him go. I see Hendricks following before long.
 
Big_Chief_Stove said:
Good for Ed "Mr. Nobody" Ruth. Well deserving nickname.
Click to expand...

"Ed Ruth – Now my initial assumption is that he will probably wrestle, but this guy could make millions fighting MMA within years. The more I watched him the more I was impressed with him, despite his laziness at times he was still very dominant this season. This dude has all the tools necessary, his body control is unmatched and grip is ridiculous. He would be nasty in BJJ immediately and with his range and agility would pick up the striking quickly also. The only thing that can stop Ed would be him getting complacent at the wrong time."

http://www.fightline.com/ben-askren-sees-five-ncaa-wrestlers-make-transition-mma/
 
Meathead Jock said:
"Ed Ruth – Now my initial assumption is that he will probably wrestle, but this guy could make millions fighting MMA within years. The more I watched him the more I was impressed with him, despite his laziness at times he was still very dominant this season. This dude has all the tools necessary, his body control is unmatched and grip is ridiculous. He would be nasty in BJJ immediately and with his range and agility would pick up the striking quickly also. The only thing that can stop Ed would be him getting complacent at the wrong time."

http://www.fightline.com/ben-askren-sees-five-ncaa-wrestlers-make-transition-mma/
Click to expand...
i'll check him out
 
It's just money. Bellator offered more so it made sense to sign.
 
I don't know about the other fighters but I'm rock hard.
 
Let's hope that's what happens. Stir shit up a bit.
 
Big_Chief_Stove said:
i'll check him out
Click to expand...
He is a lot like Kevin Randleman in many ways; the difference is Randleman never went to a real training camp (Hammer House was just a place for him, Coleman and Baroni to shoot needles and snort coke before going to the strip club) and Ruth is already a familiar face inside Jackson-Winklejohn.

 
You have to assume it gives LWs a little more leverage when negotiating with the UFC. Like maybe they'll get a couple thousand dollars extra, which is a lot of money if you're 12 years old.
 
Xtal said:
Yeah, that's how it's always been, but when you're coming up and seeing top fighters get into battles with Reebok about pay, it's gotta be a little disheartening for somebody trying to move up the ranks into the big leagues to hear guys talk like that.


Right, but I'm talking more the effects of them getting these older, established fighters to jump ship and whether that will be incentive for younger fighters to join Bellator in order to fast track their way to a big matchup against these veterans. A couple years ago these guys would be working their way up the ranks to fight....Ben Askren? Douglas Lima? Now they win a couple fights and they're fighting Bendo or Thomson.
Click to expand...

That's a good point, and it may be the long-term effect. That remains to be seen... but it would require the vets making the jump first.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,237,050
Messages
55,463,703
Members
174,786
Latest member
JoyceOuthw

Share this page

Back
Top