The TRUTH About UFC Fighter Pay
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2024
- Get Current, use my code SPENCER100 for a chance to win and learn more: www.current.co...
Thank you to Tom Nash for lending his expertise to make this video! His channel is located here: / tomnashtv
Also thanks to The Pivot podcast for their great interview with Dana White: • Dana White Shares His ...
INSTAGRAM
/ spencercornelia1
EMAIL (for topics)
spencer0cornelia@gmail.com
EMAIL (for sponsorships)
spencercornelia@creatorsagency.co
Disclaimer: Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Metropolitan Commercial Bank, Members FDIC
Congrats to the winners of the Current giveaway:
~treyda6
~TonyO
~ConnorRiley2
~CasimiroBetancourt
~DanielHolung
Thanks for signing up!
The issue is not just fighter pay. It’s the fact that fighters are called “independent contractors”, yet they aren’t allowed to earn money with kit sponsorships, other promotions, boxing etc. They can be cut at any time. They are employees
You're not an employee if you can be cut at any time. Sure, the contract is an exclusive contract, which sucks. But if money is the motive, there's a lot of other places to go.
@@Noobscodee A lot of companies. Every small to medium size brand who cant afford big stars will be glad to spend a few dollars sponsoring a guy with the right to brag that a UFC fighter is using their - protein, electrolytes drink, or a head band.
@@Noobscodee Bro ur such a idiot they are litterally the most famous athletes in the world and are making less money than a role player in the nba . It’s crazy that Conor mcgregor vs khabib was double as much as any nba final game in the last 3 years but they made 10 million combined
I’m confused by your mention, ‘you’re not an employee if you can be cut at any time.’ Plenty of states are ‘at will,’ which allows companies to fire you without cause.
All ufc guys are constantly promoting companies for money. Weather it be supplements or men's clothes or shoes, go on any ufc fighters page and you'll see all of them promoting something and they're getting paid very well to do it
When the UFC took away sponsorships it increased the difficulty of success. Fighters are spread thing to be able to afford training etc.
I'm not much of a Brendan Schaub fan but he proved that he only made 10 percent of his previous pay after the Reebok deal. Dana White tried to say he was full of shit but it turned out to be pretty accurate.
The Ali Expansion Act Needs To Be Legislated Into MMA.
@@johndicksonkaraoke2554 I agree with you but that also means the problems with boxing would transfer to mma with greedy promoters and top fighters dodging each other
@@paulsacks3081 the Sport of MMA will not evolve until that happens, there’s also the certified class action lawsuit. The UFC Lost their Undisputed HW Champion Francis Ngannou.
Thanks for having me on Spencer. Great video.
Well done sir...love the accent bro💯🔥
SHILL
Excellent research Mr Nash, your a gentleman and scholar my good man. I bid you good day sir
Appearing on Spencer’s video: you had my attention.
Wearing a UofM polo: now you have my subscription. 〽️💛💙
Sign* nerds
Unless ALL of the fighters got together and basically STRIKE..(ESPECIALLY all the title holders and contenders/top fighters are where the real$ is) the PPV events then they will ALWAYS have people willing to fight for relatively small amounts of $💯
It might be enough if the bottom 80-95% strike. Stars cant just fight each other. And as for strike-breakers... like to see them cross that picket-line.
They won’t get fair pay until there is a fighter’s union which may never happen. NBA and MLB player/owner split is like 50/50. They have strong players unions. UFC is like 20%.
This is communism and 90% of the fighters doesn't understand what does it means .
@@headlyone2410 well, those unions got strong somehow over time. So that would be a goal to aspire to. It is harder, off course, in a time when unions are seen as pure evil. But then again they d o want more money.
working together to get better pay is communism? Now I know why all those communists are so rich :D
Really, you should think a little more and repeat a little less of other peoples talking points.
As Tom said, the issue is that UFC is one of the most profitable parts of the business. Therefore, much of the money it makes goes to offset other businesses within the Endeavour Group.
Me and my co workers were just talking about that last week, we were just bullshitting but it makes sense.
@@jordanhardebeck4106 Brendan has his own caveat before you speak about him 😂 that’s how bad he is.
Dana took away so much money from the fighters when he took away their ability to sell sponsorships on their trunks and pre fight flags. Dudes a crook
"If you don't like what I'm doing, start your own league."
That's not arguing against the notion he's underpaying his fighters as much it is an admission. I'll give him credit where it's due. At least he's being honest about it.
It isn't though. It's basically saying 'if anyone else can pay these fighters more while running a profitable business, then go ahead'.
It's more an assertion that he's paying the fighters optimally.
It should be easy for a competing organization to take all his fighters if he is underpaying them so much. If they can't there is a reason.
That is something I do appreciate about the ufc and Dana despite my misgivings about them; they're a business and admit as much. They're not like the NFL or FIFA or even worse the Olympics who are multi billion dollar profitable companies pretending to be not for profit orgs.
The ufc is a business. Their fighters are doing ok. There is a lot more than just fighters that need to be paid.
@@zinknot The reason is glory. In order to be considered the #1 ITW fighter unanimously you have no choice but to sign with the UFC. These are athletes that want to be considered great like all pro athletes do. If all they wanted to do was make a living there are other ways that don't destroy your brain and body. This gives UFC all of the leverage. UFC's roster has steadily gotten worse since being purchased by WME, it's just that nobody notices because very few people care about MMA that isn't the UFC. There's **tons** of top talent not fighting in the UFC but nobody cares about them because they're "B league" fighters. They get under ranked and are generally treated as second class fighters so the monopoly rolls on.
Anybody who calls themselves an MMA fan should really re-consider whether they're okay with this. 90+% of fans who only pay attention to the UFC seem to be though.
The UFC is the big leagues of MMA. There is no reason anyone fighting for the UFC should be struggling.
Spencer x Tom! Unstoppable duo
💥
I feel like its easy, allow them to have sponsors 🤷🏻♂️
The issue here is that companies could then avoid sponsoring UFC by sponsoring the fighter directly. This would bankrupt the UFC. Furthermore, what happens when a fighter wants to be sponsored by Burger King when UFC has a McDonald's sponsorship? You can't have that kind of conflict of interest.
Generally speaking, though, I agree. It would be cool to just let fighters get sponsors.
I believe the Reebok deal doesn't allow other sponsors on shorts/trunks.
Ultimately it is up to the fighters to band together and form an actual union. But the sport is so cut throat, and everyone thinks they will be the next Conor McGregor. And no one wants to ruffle any feathers when they finally make it to the premier league, it's a tough situation.
I think we also need to address all these expenses the fighter are facing for camps. Why do camps cost thousands of dollars, they should be going to mma gyms with free training partners, who are there for the same reason, training partners. Food isn't that expensive, these couches are just bleeding dry the fighters to be racking up thousands of dollars in expenses for a 8-10 week period. Former championship level fighter have been baffled why some people spent so much on camps, especially when they siad the most they would spend on camps would be like 2k including cost of living, and only paying out like 15% of their total pay afterwards to everyone who helped. They need better accountants more than anything. Also why do they need managers/agents. The ufc matchmakes, why pay someone 10-15% to tell you who the ufc has decided who you're fighting, especially when they also control how much you get paid too, the manager do almost nothing. Ali probably get his fighters paid more because he has a lot of the talent and he doesn't try to unionized them, giving his guys a bone because he could single handedly form a union.
@@gilbertoflores7397 Camps are a business like anything else. The people who run them need to make money or there is no incentive.
The Ali Expansion Act Needs To Be Legislated Into MMA.
@@gilbertoflores7397 fighters can go to the UFC PI for free I’m pretty sure. And fighters have agents not to choose there next opponent… it’s to have someone that knows how to negotiate a better contract and can navigate you through the process
@@flyingchimp12 not everyone goes to the PI, nor do they train you, they have staff to educate you on diet, strength training, and recovery. However, they don't offer combat training coaches for a reason. It'd be a conflict of interest or ethics thing. And managers are literally scammers, the ufc doesn't negotiate, they basically tell you, this is who you'll fight, and for how much. A Manger will only be the go between to tell you what the ufc decided, they can't negotiate a better deal for anyone, the ufc knows roughly how much you'll get paid and slowly increase for every fight won, it's a tier system. Maybe managers should be getting a cut of whatever they are able to negotiate above what the ufc offered originally, otherwise they're unnecessary. Managers straight robs these fighters more than the ufc underpays fighters. They're getting screwed by everyone. Guys like O'Malley exposed managers when he decided to negotiate with the ufc directly, and yet his manager wanted a cut of his money and a cut of his bonus when he did nothing to help him, so he fired them. He doesn't need them and he proven its easier to send s list of guys he'd like to fight, let the ufc decide.
I was told by Charlie Munger that whenever you see "EBITA" substitute the phrase "bullshit earnings" 🤣🤣🤣 great video fan for life
That made sense 60 years ago before financial engineering advanced. Now it makes you sound retarded.
Don't trust Tom Nash and his financial analysis. This is the same guy who praised Palantir at $30 and kept saying to his followers it's the next trillion dollar company
still could be though
@@tpeterson9140 62x from now id invest now if you believe it. It won't see $30 again anytime soon lol
Do you expect him to be right 100% of the time? If you find a guy like that then let me know.
the real issue isn't how much they are paid, it's how the UFC says they're "independent contractors" then treats them like employees. They can no longer get sponsorships, they can't fight in other martial arts or promotions. That's KIND OF RIDICULOUS.
I thought the deal was you could get any sponsorship as long as it’s not conflicting with Reebok and cannot be something you have done plastered on your clothes/body at the fight?
The fighters for the UFC didn't have to signed with the UFC. The could've signed with other promotions!
@@Chalk89 Who's going to sponsor a fighter if they can't even rep the logo in any official UFC capacity? The only guys getting outside sponsorships are guys with big social media followings who promote on social media.
@@MrMalicious5 I was asking a question - not pushing an opinion on if I agree/disagree. Plus, not for nothing, NFL and other pro athletes aren't allowed to have sponsorships embroidered on their shirts, jerseys, etc. and have big-time endorsements. That's solely on the fighter to build his/her brand.
@@roythousand13 but that doesn't solve the problem now does it? You cant just run away from things to solve your problems, you have to actually solve them
If they are independent contractors then they should be allowed to fight in any other league and sport at the same time
I wish minor league baseball players got this much attention about their contracts. Those are borderline illegal, especially what they do to college seniors
The minor leagues are different to the ufc . The ufc brands themselves by saying they have the best fighters in the world . So it would be like major league players getting peanut compared to the minor leagues .
@@djay5384 every single mlb player has to go through the minor leagues and they can be paid $400 a week. I make more then that.
@@braidenb3973 every single ufc fighter except for cm punk had to go smaller local mma promotions aswell . And they don’t complain about the money there because they know that’s just a local mma promotion and they’re waiting to go to the big league the UFC and they get lowballed .
@@djay5384 Well and Brock Lesnar. But local mma events aren’t ran by the ufc so it’s actually nothing like the minor league business wise. The minor league regular season is 5 months so a player can be paid a bit more then $8k and still be expected to train year round. I don’t understand how you can think that’s ethical. & I never said mma fighters shouldn’t be paid more only that minor leaguers pay should get the same attention.
@@djay5384 what about Greg Hardy?
Great work in breaking down the financials and providing great analysis behind it Spencer (and Tom).
👊
@@TomNashTV hey Tom, a lot of companies have more in debt than they have in liquid cash. Not sure why you said "that's not healthy".
@@dv4497 the analysis is bs
For me, if you want “full time” fighters (which will only lead to better fighters) then you need to raise the minimum fighter pay to at least $35k.
For real pay them 30-60k/yr salary OR a similar number during their training camps. Give everyone 8 weeks training camp pay.
The problem with this is that the ones receiving below that are never going to be “better fighters”
@@golurk9521 they do lower fighters make 50-100k rarely do they make under 35 rn. Unless it like your first fight or something but they fight like 2-3 fights a year Nd you get more as you get better.
They could afford to salary fighters 60,000k a year then pay them when they fight. Dana White is just greedy
I respect the work you put into your videos. I find it truly baffling that all major crypto RUclipsrs just look at pure wave and completely ignore the bigger narrative of why BTC is pumping and why the future outlook might not be as bullish as it seems. It's kind of irresponsible to ignore the fact that each ETF launch so far has caused a big swing in BTC spike. We were already on shaky footing with historically low volume and almost pure whale pumps, narrowly avoiding a long-term bear market. This is the worst possible time in history to invest as so many don't back up their crypto assets.More emphasis should be put into day trading as it is less affected by the unpredictable nature of the market,……..I have made over 11 btc frm day trading Eliana Brooklyn insights and signals in less than 2 weeks this is one of the best medium to backup vour assets Incase it goes bearish
Most failures and loss on investment usually
happens when you invest without proper knowledge of the market..I was able to recover my losses with Eliana Brooklyn,
Her good reputation already speaks for her last month i invested over $100,000 with her and I've already made over $250,000 profit..
Kindly reach her thru Nice gram page with,,
Elianabk is the name.
My growing love for crypto caused me to explore until I came across Eliana(although I'm trying to avoid sensationalism) they are by far the best. No hype for hype's sake, but great inspiration to trade crypto
You should make a boxing money video so we can understand why they make so much and we can compare the two! Great vid bro 💎🥊
Lol
The top level (handful of boxers) make more money. The rest make scraps.
The average boxer makes less than the average mma fighter
@@x80five50 I’m not talking to you you don’t even have a profile pic of yourself
@@ttmuh I’m not talking to you you don’t even have a profile pic
@@52Santiago25 you replied
Dana is right somewhat, most fighters just aren't a draw and don't deserve more, they have no personality so they don't sell tickets. But Dana is wrong when he says boxers are overpaid, they're paid in correlation to their value, personally I think there's no such thing as overpaying a fighter if they bring in more than they make.
Bingo. Dana knows this. But he's being obtuse one purpose. Personally don't watch UFC as much anymore because of this. Also, since the league and the sport is still relatively young, they're in this denial phase of CTE compared to what boxing and football went through ten years ago. We won't see the punch drunk fighters of this era start springing up until another 10 years or more.
UFC has issues it will have to face head on at a certain point.
How about UFC promote their fighters more
We all want our favorite fighters to be paid millions like it's the NFL, but the sport is still growing and doesn't have the cash flow to sustain that. However I do think it's criminal that fighters do not get insurance
Nah, we dont, not everyone is a pathetic fanboy like you.
They earn great and schould shut up
Bro how is he going to say "we can't pay all the fighters enough to feed their families and still have a successful business" and then turn around and say "all our fighters make a bunch of money"? I guess "a bunch" is relative
I remember someone on youtube once mentioning that the Ring girls made more money than the UFC fighters. This was probably due to the whole Reebok sponsorship deal which meant fighters couldn't get outside sponsors. Hopefully there is something to the effect of the Ali Act to protect MMA Fighters, but I don't know much about the inner mechanics or even the contract structures to make an assessment.
It's cause the fighters fight 1 time to 3 times a year at best. The ring girls are at every event every time earning. So yeah they probably make more than lots of fighters.
If UFC Fighters don't like their pay, they shouldn't signed with the UFC!
@@roythousand13 dude you’re on every comment defending Dana with your life! How does his boot taste??
@@TheRicardough214 He's in the Round Head Alliance with him. No-neck-and-two-chins boys gotta defend each other.
@@TheRicardough214 it's because people like him what to start a business one day (or maybe even already have a business) and exploit their employees just like their big daddy Dana. . . LoL
The fighters are given 17% of the total revenue whereas most sports leagues are around 40% at worst. That and the fighters' ability to choose their own sponsors has been removed by UFC since the implementation of the Reebok Deal thus further decreasing their earning potential. The fighters, even the high earners, are significantly underpaid.
@Tobekang shh they don’t like facts
The ufc alone is worth less than a singlular team in the NFL
@Tobekang But the UFC is an organisation, not a team. Also the fighters are independent contractors in name only as they're treated like employees with none of the benefits that come with it.
@@whodatboi2567 they are allowed to make any money they want outside the octagon if they want. If you want a REAL EXAMPLE of independent contractors only in name, look at the WWE. they are restricted more than any ufc fighter but it doesn’t get talked about
@@whodatboi2567 “treated like employees” can fight whenever they choose to
It's like MLB and it's "farm system" except the undercard is wearing UFC branded merch and paid by the UFC. they're paid very little though.
Years ago there was show on MTV called True Life. One episode they followed MMA fighters and it was crazy how many of them had nothing! The little money they won barely covered their training cost and god forbid they got injured.
go star ur own business sweetheart 👸 This is America 🇺🇸 You can do anything you put your mind to. Its their fault 🤷♂️ -🤠
@@randomcommentor4222 so anyway…..
@@randomcommentor4222 obvious idiot troll is obvious idiot troll
The guy they followed on that show was Frankie Edgar. He went on the become the champion and actually make it. It make sense why he didn't have much the sport was still up and coming they were struggling to get on TV. You also saw regional fighters too, just trying to get to the bigger show.
Yo Spencer
Do a video on Andrew Tate.
I believe he’s similar to Tai Lopez
Selling dreams while making money off subscriptions
It’s like this for any individual sport. You simply do not generate enough money as a fighter or swimmer or sprinter or jumper or thrower or gymnast or weightlifter or body builder by yourself. They don’t compete enough and the average fan only wants to see the best of the best. That’s why the best are paid unimaginable riches, and the very good have 2nd jobs.
the BEST in ufc is getting paid 3mil plus ppv pts no sponsorship, while the BEST in boxing is getting paid 250-330 million plus ppv pts plus in ring and out ring sponsorship... let that sink in...
Possibly 75 grand a year. We make more than them minus the fame. WOW.
Dont mind me just here reporting all the bot comments 5 seconds after the vid dropped
Dana White should thank McGregor every night before he goes to bed. If it wasn't for McGregor he wouldn't have had the same success.
That stock drop probably explains why they dropped advertising as much this year.
Barely advertised the first two PPVs of the year
those cards were absolutely stacked they didnt need it.
They made decent money off sponsors, but Daddy Dana took that away too.
I'm a simple guy. Spencer drops a banger, I watch it
Great breakdown the overall revenue split is terrible the fighters get crumbs
it just hit me. exactly, they need a second job. we've all been there, mostly. what are the fighters good at? fighting. they should be able to fight anywhere, anytime barring medical disqualification.
Like being an electrician but being told you can't do any electrical work in your spare time.
What they really need is the UFC to allow fighters to be sponsored again like how they were pre Reebok deal. That will allow the fighters to atleast make some more cash, but the UFC are crooks and want a slice of that as well as underpaying their fighters
@@philliesphanatic6020 exactly smh
It’s just weird because if you have it like that it’s hard to schedule months out. You do make a good point though they might be able to just make it an exclusive deal when people reach a certain level.
The unfortunate truth is that low fighter pay is part of what has made UFC a very successfully run business, especially early on. Considering it’s tripled its value since it’s $4 billion purchase in 2017, they should probably prioritize restructuring their fighter pay.
Oh shit. Spencer got sponsors yall.
I'm happy to see your success.
Nah. This is disrespectful to us his audience
The fighters aren't risking their money. They're risking their lives, limbs and brain cells.
UFC pay is a microcosm of society. Everyone wants to be THAT champion on top, earning all the pay. Then, when you get there, you conveniently forget about how it was like when you started. But, the reality is, very, very few will reach the pinnacle. Unless, all the champions strike for the "little guys," there won't be any change. Unless they all strike, Dana will hold all the cards and pay out (and he does give money out, even when he doesn't have to) at *HIS* own discretion. Not to disparage the fighters, but for many, the alternative of chasing an illusive championship probably isn't terribly bright--why else enter such a busted business? In the end, probably nothing will change.
You said it best at the end, it is a monopoly and it will keep behaving as one until we have a decent competitor. With time there will be.
The UFC is "NOT" an monopoly! There are numerous mma organizations! The UFC is just the best of them all!
There will be no real competition against the UFC, as long as Dana White is with the UFC.
@@roythousand13 Monopoly: The exclusive possession or control of the supply of or trade in a commodity or service. Yes, they are a monopoly. No worthwhile fighter will go anywhere else...Yet.
@@opita ,I respectfully disagree that the UFC is a true monopoly!
Oh no Spencer. Not the sponsor. I thought you wanted respect? This isn't respecting your audience
If you willingly sign the contract, you can’t complain. There are other promotions available.
Exactly
🤦♂️
Average makes 4k a month dam
A quick comment on the pay of Oliveira and Gaethje. The Arizona athletic commission doesn’t require fighter purses to be disclosed so those estimates of their pay could be wrong. Frankly knowing the UFC, they’re more likely than not overestimates of their actual pay
The UFC thinks we're stupid.
The ufc needs the Muhammad Ali act asap
they just wanne become rich in a couple of fights.... they all want flashy cars and yachts....
they dont like it... find another job....
I’m so glad you did this because I’m a MMA fighter and we really don’t get payed enough 🥺
Okay?
Go fight someone.
Who’s making you 😂
@@filibertosalinas6816 lol I will fight you what’s ya current weight?
Then you should find another line of work like any other adult would do. It's like being in the military on your first enlistment and thinking you aren't paid enough for the job you're doing but then instead of getting out to earn more you just reenlist and continue to complain about the pay.
Zachary, nobody is forcing you to be a MMA fighter! If you aren't getting the pay you want, you should look for another line of work!
@@roythousand13 and no one force you to comment but you did so tell me what your passion is!
if you're underpay, change company.. or make a strike, it's that simple. Nobody forces them to work with the UFC but if they do, that's because UFC has the highest pay.
Remember UFC fighters fight for a corporation, but boxers fight independently, and that's why there's a HUGH difference in pay. If UFC fighters went independent and just through fights through promotional companies I think eventually they will start making more money.
Boxers do too it’s just not as monopolized or restrictive as UFC it seems. Top Rank fighters can fight GoldenBoy ones but they are stuck with matchups the promoter works out. UFC has done that very few times such as when they sent Liddell to fight in PrideFC. That backfired when Liddell lost.
I would love to see all the fighters that Dana keeps telling to leave if they don’t like the pay to leave. Be very interesting to see what happens to their profit margins then. 🤷🏽♂️ taking away fighters ability to have sponsorships and then telling them there not getting paid a sustainable wage unless your a superstar or the champion is disgusting.
I am following you for the past 12 months, and you deserve so much more subs. Keep on the great work! Greetings from Europe
Good stuff. Next time you should watch a few interviews to get the correct pronunciation of the names. Takes away from the credibility of your piece a bit to hear so many mispronounciations.
A fighter by the name of Lorenzo Larkin told me the reason he left UFC for bellator was because Dana was penny pinching. When I approached him, I asked why would you leave the most watched company when regarding to MMA...he just said 🤑
Everyone's goal is to get to UFC till they find out
Larkin wouldn't have made $$$ in Bellator without the name recognition from his UFC run, so he took the best career path financially. Make yourself a name in the UFC, then cash out in Bellator or another org that wants to say they employ former UFC fighters.
What is ebitda?
Update: earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (used as an indicator of the overall profitability of a business).
I keep up with the sport so without even watching I’ll give my thoughts beforehand. The fighters only get like a 17% revenue split which wouldn’t be so bad if they had sponsors. Even Conor was getting taken advantage of by Dana. It’s one of the only major sports where people work 2 jobs
Funny UFC makes Billions in revenue while the fighters make thousands. UFC reports they don't make that much at the end of the day but neither does Amazon//Tesla/etc. The fighters needs a union. After they get done with there careers they have nothing.
Hanging around Graham and Macy too much. Doing your outro like Macy too. Cut yourself off in the middle of a sentence. I know you're busy being the next Ben Malllah (he's local to me and a nice guy) but you are that busy?
I was with my cousin when Dana called him 3 days before a fight and offered him a main card spot to replace someone. RIGHT WHEN HE GOT HOME from a title fight he won in a smaller league.
Dana already had a passport made for him without ever speaking to him lol
my cousin took the 3 fight contract and he only got $5000 for a MAIN CARD fight last minute 3 days after a title fight.
Who’s your cousin
@@940adolfo Tony Ferguson
@@940adolfo roman salazar he got his eye poked by kid yamamoto in 2015 when had his comeback rip
Ufc feeds all there fighters for free the truth is we don’t know how much they make cus they won’t tell us if anything boxers are overpaid I think fighters should be able to have there own sponsors for fights tho
Dana White said it best when he said you shouldn't rely on fighting as a career (the primary source of income), you should use fighting to build other careers (sources of income.) For example, Connor Mcgregor makes more money outside of the UFC. For those who say Connor is an exception, well Paige Vanzant is an example of someone who was unsuccessful in the UFC but still used the UFC to build her brand and make more money outside of fighting.
Yeah he called them independent contractors so he could say that they shouldn't rely on fighting as a career. But if they use fighting to make a career in something the UFC doesn't approve, like boxing, that's when these "independent contractors" suddenly become employees
@@tobysmith2081 when you sign a contract with the UFC you're saying I understand this origination will provide me certain things I can not get on my own, in return I will only use this organization. it is like when buying a house you sign a contract with the bank saying I promise to keep making payments and keep the house in decent shape because you're giving me something I couldn't get on my own.
@@Samedang "I will only use this organization"
Then it isn't the case that the UFC fighters can use the UFC to build other careers. These guys are at the gym 5-6 days a week rolling, running, kickboxing, and lifting weights. They're in a sport that compromises their other talents because of time consumption and the physical trauma they put on their bodies. The vast majority of them won't be getting into other income avenues other than sports or sports entertainment. UFC contracts are predatory, buying a house isnt
@@tobysmith2081 Buying a house can be predatory, that is why congress passes ECOA, anyways you say fighters can't build other streams of income because they are too busy training, while true that does not prevent them from hiring a team to build it for them. Do you think billionaires run every aspect of their lives? no, they have a team. Also, look up Junior Bridgeman dude played in the NBA but only made 4 million in his career but now is the second richest man to ever play in the NBA! because he used his time in the NBA to build other sources of income!
Fighters union . All other sports have them why not the ufc?
they're trying. look up leslie smith.
"It will be an honor to fight in the UFC" "As long as im fighting in thr biggest MMA promotion in the world". Everytime I hear those words, I feel bad for the fighter. I think those businessman are using it against them.
Tbh I think the fighters are just dumb. They need to wake up and action being taken advantaged of
4% is nothing. I know a crypto that pays 20%
Spencer the Ring Girls makes more than majority of the fighters. And Dana said he’s gonna pay Micheal Chandler 750k but Ngannou made only 600k. Dana only pays the people he likes. Danas dumbass also raised the ppv price
I think Dana has done a great job. The fighters crying are mad they didn’t do it right, the model of giving losers rewards will never work. Innovation, incentives, equals motivation. The same way they tell the everyday workers, if your not comfortable than go get a different job. Simple.
Let’s remember NBA took 60 years to make it to where it is now. UFC is just getting started
Basically the UFC is doing nothing wrong, its a business at the end of the day
Man I agree with what you’re saying but I can’t help but laugh at how you are saying half these fighters names.
I recently “volunteered” (you have to pay to be a volunteer) to do a major LPGA tournament. The purse was $1.5 million. The winner took home $250K, out of which she had to pay state (CA) and federal taxes, her caddy, manager and agent commissions, plus travel and hotel expenses. Second and third place payed less. Those that made the cut, but didn’t place got around $10K. The one that started but didn’t make the cut got $0.
UFC fighting lost alot of money with the rebook deal cuz now they cant have there on sponsorship
Stipe Miocic was the UFC heavyweight champion who kept his first job as a firefighter throughout his career. The UFC should be viewed as supplemental income for 99% of all fighters. The average MMA pay 30 years ago was zero, or a trip to county jail. Now, some fighters are household names and they are able to leverage that notoriety into sponsorship deals, podcasting, gym ownership and personal training. Sounds better than the alternative of yesteryear.
Yeah but that is also why they could offer fighters really bad contracts because no options didnt really exist. Now its different, but they keep the shady contracts.
This isn't an argument, this just merely stating the obvious. At the end of the day they're still paying them less than they're worth. When you realize that less then 2% of total PPV sales was enough to cover Francis ngannou contracted amount (excluding PPV points, since we're talking about contracts) and that, that isn't even their only source of income, there is clearly something wrong. The biggest draw on the card shouldn't be earning less than 2% of the total revenues, this isn't even including seat admission or merch.
@@AkiraIsMissing There are other organizations that Francis can go to if he's unhappy. No one held a gun and made him sign a contract with the UFC. Stipe is a firefighter, which is a skill that pays a certain amount, in addition to the money he made from the UFC. Francis can leverage his other skills too, or just be content that he made way over a million dollars for his last fight. Both Stipe and Francis are in the top 1% of all income earners. The salt being shed here is about something else entirely.
@@juzi68 Dude are you forgetting about the. Championship clause?????
@@AkiraIsMissing Was it written in tiny letters that couldn't be seen on his contract? The organization or the person that signs your paychecks has the leverage. Complaining about that is silly, especially when you're a multi millionaire like Francis.
Pretty simple, give them a reason to pay you more and they pay you more. ala Conor McGregor
Shut up Dana simp
1:57 i will not listen to a guy talk about fighter pay who can't even pronounce Justin Gaethje's last name correctly.
Edit: apparently he can't pronounce any fighter's name correctly. Whatta joke
He also left out the PPV points for the champs to keep the pay lower and didn’t mention that fighters can have as many sponsors outside the cage as they want. He used the “they have to pay the gym, bills, etc” for expenses that come from fighting but didn’t include the 30 second sponsorships they get to have because they’re fighters. Guys like this like to bend situations to suit their narrative.
Boxing undercards don't pay shit either, less than the UFC often
Edit: Only the top guys are underpaid.
Nah tbh there all are I understand what ur saying but since they can’t actually make any money from real sponsorships since they wouldn’t be able to show it on their shorts and stuff there resulted to finding a second job because they can’t get certain amount of fights in a year and camp is expensive and gym fees are expensive… see it makes sense if there was a UFCPI in all major cities that might help them since not all of these athletes have access to great gyms great equipment a lot of them are paying out-of-pocket…being an MMA fighter a real gamble since it ain’t like pro football or pro basketball where there’s a training facility and access to all the doctors in the world even if you were a bench player they don’t get that luxury in MMA… they should all have atleast a safe net base pay.
@@DGATOR86 they get sponsorship money from Venum, average fighter isn't getting more than the couple thousand bucks they get from them.
Much of these types of sponsorships were pre social media sponsored posts.
So to insist that sponsorship money is still there in the social media age is wishful thinking.
Companies get much more visibility having fighters do sponsored posts on social media than hoping they're noticed on some shorts.
@@DGATOR86 And the more appropriate comp is boxing, not nfl/nba which are team sports
Great analysis here; it's understandable that a lot of the bottom line fighters would complain.
However, when you hear about the UFC giving them classes on how to develop their social media presence, especially with bonuses from the kits (Reebok and Venum), it makes me wonder why they only think this game is about fighting. It's entertainment. Even non top ten fighters who become good at social media can find money (Paige Vanzant). As your profile grows, so does your demand power. (See Sean O'Malley)
MMA is a sport, not sports entertainment. All sports are entertainment but sports entertainment isn't the same thing as a sport. Fighters shouldn't have to try making money on social media because a company consciously monopolized their sport's industry to suppress their pay. Obviously sponsorship opportunities are great but they exist for athletes in all sports and other sports don't have this problem.
@@Mrmoustache6 not to mention the UFC cut off individual fighter sponsors which would have helped up and coming fighters a lot
@@Mrmoustache6 you're also talking about other sports that have leagues that are many decades olderthat already have a viewership far beyond MMA. Unfortunately, MMA is still building. UFC is only one vessel.
You make money via ratings. If Basketball, Futbol, all these sports have the ratings MMA has, I guarantee you everyone's pay goes down with the sponsorships too.
I'm about the craft as well, but unfortunately, casual fans aren't, and casual fans is where the money comes. More eyes, more ads, more money. If the people don't care to see bottom tier fighters, they're not the ones bringing in money.
Sure, go to bellator, One championship etc. If money is the motive, make the money move.
@@colah.2816 MMA has plenty of viewership. Maybe not as much as the stick and ball sports but plenty just the same. It really all comes down to the revenue split. UFC is raking in 80%+ of MMA's global revenue, a billion + per year while paying out 15% of it to the athletes that are competing. This is compared to 50-60%+ in boxing and 40-50% in team sports.
The fact of the matter is that MMA is not regulated via government intervention like Boxing is nor is it unionized like team sports are. This allowed for an unchecked monopoly to form and this unchecked monopoly is doing what you'd expect an unchecked monopoly to do.
@@Mrmoustache6 when you say MMA isn't gov't regulated, what are you referring to? because from state to state, MMA needs to be sanctioned. Plenty viewership in comparison to ball sports as you referred is a drop in the bucket. If you want to aim at splits, the teams of these sports are owned by franchises that make far more than any player. And within boxing, you're talking about a sport that has a literal 200 year start in sport and viewership. There's no league of boxing. That's why there are so many belts for a weight class. UFC literally made their own league, has their own production crew, all that is a cost.
Once again, I'm not against Fighters making more money. But, it's a business... with the exclusion of Ngannou and maybe Silva as of recent, the only fighters really complaining are undercard fighters.
A 50/50 split is the best solution and government should enforce this.
"Everyone wants to know..." -- I don't care and never thought about it. It is the profession they chose. If they did not know that going in that is no one's problem but theirs.
My father played pro baseball in his 20s, driving around the country in a school bus half the year, then working construction the rest of the year. It's a choice. Once he got drafted he gave it up - that's life.
The top guys make the money, the rest either fight their way up, in every sport, or quit -- or go play in Europe. As long as two guys in the same weight class agree to fight, UFC isn't going anywhere.
So their Heavyweight champion isn’t a top guy?
The answer to the title of this video is..
Yes. 100%.
say no more.
Interestingly enough Spencer gives away the real issue about 1:20.
UFC gives you $20K as a lower card fighter (thereabout).
You then take that money and split it with others based on YOUR DEALS with those people. UFC isn't responsible for making sure you aren't fleeced by trainers, accountants, taxes, golddiggers or anyone else.
In a perfect world, everyone will make $100 million for bagging groceries because that would make them happy. But we will never live in that world without massive inflation which would make it useless.
Furthermore, Dana White's comment about "Every (boxing) fight is a going out of business sale" is in respect to the fact that boxing has no LEAGUES.
UFC is a LEAGUE that has dozens of fights per month. They are constantly promoting, paying for arenas, booking talent all year round. Not once every few months. Its a completely different business model to boxing.
Sponsorships would make a big difference for fighters but the issue of conflict of interests (between fighter and UFC) and a company being able to access UFC's audience without paying them are problems.
The Brock Lesnar x Bud Light fiasco years ago shined a light on sponsorships and their importance to sports leagues.
A boxing-style system would drastically overpay the top while dicking mid and low card fighters even more than they are now.
It might not be the UFC's responsibility to make sure the fighter's management and gym doesn't fleece them but you know what is? Them not fleecing fighters. There's no UFC equivalent in boxing *because it's illegal to apply the UFC's business model to boxing* go read the Ali Act.
PS. the UFC is absolutely not a league. It's a sports entertainment promotion masquerading as a quasi league, but it's definitely not a league. The UFC has 100% control over the matchmaking and have shown time and time again they'll fuck over fighter's chances at glory to make a dime. Imagine if the Lakers were in the NBA finals every year because they're the most popular team.
PPS. Boxing promoters are putting on fights every weekend too lol like what are you even talking about.
@@Mrmoustache6
And the weekly fights which do exist don't have nearly the success or payouts that people are discussing here. There aren't $50-60 million fights every week or even every other week in boxing.
UFC does not have 100% control of matchmaking as fighters can reject fights, even high profile ones, which they do not want. This is because fighters are contractors and aren't on a schedule like NBA or NFL players. MMA fighters can reject fights, a the LA Lakers cannot reject or object to playing any team.
And UFC is indeed a league, which is how they maintain a ranking system and justify having their own championship which is their own Intellectual Property.
The Ali Act supposedly "helped" boxing but it created the problem of overpaying the top while fucking the middle card and lower card fighters. The Ali Act exists due to boxing deep history of corruption.
I'd argue the Ali act shouldn't exist. I understand there's this desire to "expand" it to include MMA but would hinder the growth of MMA.
@@TheMagnificentMongoSlade There are boxing fights every weekend that have fighters getting more then the UFC card happening the same weekend. Top rank, PBC, Matchroom etc etc...
A league has objective criteria to climb rankings and be rewarded with a championship. You said it yourself, fighters don't have to compete if they don't want to and can turn down fights. The UFC can and has passed fighters over because they aren't popular enough. That's not a league. Name any other league that shares those traits.
The Ali act gave fighters that generate a lot of revenue the right to make that revenue. It's a feast or famine sport, at least it's fair. 15% of revenue isn't fair and it never will be no matter how badly you want it to be.
4:28 comparing it with the s&p500 seems kind of dumb though since it’s backed by it being the S&P 500 though no?
No one is forcing anyone to fight. If you actually had other skill sets you could simply do something else as a career and ultimately the UFC would have no choice but to pay more. Also the trainers could easily charge less as well
dumb take
9:14 it wasn't Dana's money it was The Fertittas money
Thank you!!!! Uncle Fester didn't have a pot to piss in.
If you're not a big star don't ask or expect big money.
Boxers are overpaid? How the hell did he say that with a straight face lol
Lmao did Dana white just say boxers are over paid?
Yes, they DEFINITELY don't get paid enough. How much would it take for you to take full on punches and kicks, with potential life-altering or even life-ebding consequences? These guys fight once or twice a year, out their lives and health on the line, and STILL make less than what a major athlete makes in a month.
The sad part is that's all they can probably make due to the niche-ness of the sport. I know, it's HUGE, but it's still small compared to the NBA, NFL and MLB, and the pay reflects that.
Why would I take full on punches knowing it DOES IN FACT cause life alerting consequences. That’s stupid, and they are stupid for thinking they can making fighting a “career”. But props to the people who can make it work. Stop bitching work harder.
Underpaid and overworked like everyone else 🤣
Let me save you 10 minutes. Yes, they are underpaid.
People say that the UFC launders money too.
Lol mispronounced all the names
If my name was used to promote, if my face was used for TV and my hands to get people into the arena I'd like a precentage of everything.
I would say only sign with promotions that will give you what you want. These UFC fighters knew what was in their contracts before sign it, and these fighters still sign those contracts.
You finally mentioned a sponsorship and changed your bio saying don’t email me about sponsorship
You should totally fight a fake guru 🤣
The moral to this story is to get into boxing
What average American make’s 4k a month lol
it's roughly the average salary in US based on a few data points I've seen
But you also have to mention most boxers aren't making much except the top 5 percent
But the top guys in boxing get paid 10X more than the top guys in the UFC. As well as the bottom tier fighters in boxing are open to have there own sponsorships and branding on there clothing and are not limited by the promotion.
UFC Fighters should get paid by EVERY SIGNIFICANT Punch they throw.
eg. Rose vs Carla (They Owe me Money) Therefore the more they throw and do damage, the more they make, KO´s, Headkicks, etc.. deserve a special pay rate....
Gosh Im a Genius!, Step aside Dana Im taking over.
Fuck Pay-per-View.