Do you think in our lifetime we'll ever see..

[Violent Demise]

I tell you what check the status of the last few MMA orgs that attempted to outspend the UFC for fighters. Bodog, EliteXC, IFL and Affliction? All are closed for business. Fighter salaries that are posted do not include the shit load of money they get from sponsors who often are procured through the UFC. Sure 45K is peanuts compared some boxing paydays but its not boxing so why yall expect the pay to be on par I dont understand and to make that pay day 3-4 times a year is 3-4 times more than I make a year getting shot at. Taking sponorship, owning their own gyms and fighter salaries I doubt you will see a lot of top MMA fighters "broke and struggling" ten years from now. Some of you guys kill me with this pay thing. Yall bash the sport as not being close to as good as boxing and devoid of talent and world class athletes then want to suggest they should get comparable pay. Its one or the other gents.

Like in Boxing and every other sport the big names ain't the problem. I'm sure fighters like Randy Couture, Quinton Jackson and Tito Ortiz eat very well and will be looked after once they retire. But what about the rest? You going to tell me sponsors are giving big money to fighters like Heath Herring and Jake O'Brien? Come on now. If the top dogs are getting around $250,000 what the fukk are they getting? Or is it that they don't count?

VD,

I think your being a little impatient. MMA as we know it basically started in 1992 and didn't really start to pick up speed till Zuffa bought it in 2001 who didn't really start seeing a real return on their investment till 2005-2006. The pay has gradually increased and I think we will continue to see it rise. When you look at the meteoric success of the UFC in the past years, sure you would think they are being cheap, but then when you look at the business models who have paid big money and then failed maybe not. Jay Heiron recently was quoted at being very upset at not fighting on the canceled Affliction card. He specifically mentioned that his sponsors only paid when he fought. He didn't mention what he would have been paid by Affliction. Lets for argument sake say a dark card fighter on a UFC show gets 5k from sponsors and 10k to show from the UFC. Thats 15k (not counting win/KO/Sub bonuses), multiplied by 4 fights a year thats 60k annually. Sure not a salary that one will go out and buy a yacht with but not doing too bad either. MMA is still a young and small sport relative to others, as it grows so will the salaries that both the superstars and lesser fighters make. I think it says something that the public is always bringing up the pay and not the fighters. Maybe they know something we don't.

You forgot to subtract the normal taxes and I'm sure there's some type of trainer or agent taking a cut as well. That 60k sounds more like 35k

[VictorCharlie]

Like in Boxing and every other sport the big names ain't the problem. I'm sure fighters like Randy Couture, Quinton Jackson and Tito Ortiz eat very well and will be looked after once they retire. But what about the rest? You going to tell me sponsors are giving big money to fighters like Heath Herring and Jake O'Brien? Come on now. If the top dogs are getting around $250,000 what the fukk are they getting? Or is it that they don't count?

VD,

I think your being a little impatient. MMA as we know it basically started in 1992 and didn't really start to pick up speed till Zuffa bought it in 2001 who didn't really start seeing a real return on their investment till 2005-2006. The pay has gradually increased and I think we will continue to see it rise. When you look at the meteoric success of the UFC in the past years, sure you would think they are being cheap, but then when you look at the business models who have paid big money and then failed maybe not. Jay Heiron recently was quoted at being very upset at not fighting on the canceled Affliction card. He specifically mentioned that his sponsors only paid when he fought. He didn't mention what he would have been paid by Affliction. Lets for argument sake say a dark card fighter on a UFC show gets 5k from sponsors and 10k to show from the UFC. Thats 15k (not counting win/KO/Sub bonuses), multiplied by 4 fights a year thats 60k annually. Sure not a salary that one will go out and buy a yacht with but not doing too bad either. MMA is still a young and small sport relative to others, as it grows so will the salaries that both the superstars and lesser fighters make. I think it says something that the public is always bringing up the pay and not the fighters. Maybe they know something we don't.

You forgot to subtract the normal taxes and I'm sure there's some type of trainer or agent taking a cut as well. That 60k sounds more like 35k

Just like every other American that pays taxes and has expenses. No one forces these guys to do this for a living nor forces them to fight in the UFC. Once again when fighters not internet posters with and axe to grind start complaining about their money I'll start taking it seriously.

[killersheep]

To get back on topic. When I need to validate of an importance of a fight of why I'm not going out with friends and family, I tell them it's a "title fight" people are starting to catch on though saying things like "Is there always a title on the line on tv fights" or "They are all title fights"

Government intervention in sport is something I'm opposed to. The belts come, go, get stripped, get handed over it's just part of the story line, not the story itself. If someone wants to follow the real rankings follow either the Ring Rankings, or if you don't trust those anymore go with our own Saddoboxing rankings where you have to earn your spot by beating someone. No way in hell any commission is going to say "nope we've made enough money, time to do the right thing"

[Violent Demise]

VD,

I think your being a little impatient. MMA as we know it basically started in 1992 and didn't really start to pick up speed till Zuffa bought it in 2001 who didn't really start seeing a real return on their investment till 2005-2006. The pay has gradually increased and I think we will continue to see it rise. When you look at the meteoric success of the UFC in the past years, sure you would think they are being cheap, but then when you look at the business models who have paid big money and then failed maybe not. Jay Heiron recently was quoted at being very upset at not fighting on the canceled Affliction card. He specifically mentioned that his sponsors only paid when he fought. He didn't mention what he would have been paid by Affliction. Lets for argument sake say a dark card fighter on a UFC show gets 5k from sponsors and 10k to show from the UFC. Thats 15k (not counting win/KO/Sub bonuses), multiplied by 4 fights a year thats 60k annually. Sure not a salary that one will go out and buy a yacht with but not doing too bad either. MMA is still a young and small sport relative to others, as it grows so will the salaries that both the superstars and lesser fighters make. I think it says something that the public is always bringing up the pay and not the fighters. Maybe they know something we don't.

You forgot to subtract the normal taxes and I'm sure there's some type of trainer or agent taking a cut as well. That 60k sounds more like 35k

Just like every other American that pays taxes and has expenses. No one forces these guys to do this for a living nor forces them to fight in the UFC. Once again when fighters not internet posters with and axe to grind start complaining about their money I'll start taking it seriously.

No axe to grind. If you can't see the problem on the horizon that's on you. Hell, maybe you can see the problem and just don't care. If you want to tell me "I enjoy watching the UFC for the entertainment. But really it's of no concearn what becomes of the fighters afterwards" that's fine too.

[VictorCharlie]

Big pay days and all the list of boxers both elite and bottom rung that ended up in dire straits is not short by any stretch. I just think w/o the knowledge of what the UFC is making and its overhead, what other compensation the fighters are also making and the fact that no MMA business model has succeded by paying big salaries some are making a lot of unsubstantiated assumptions.

[fan johnny]

The sport would need to transform for that to happen.

The sport "prize fighting" i.e. "Boxing" is not centered around a single promoter, a single sanctioning body and a single government body using one set of rules granting fighters license to fight in their territory. The only stage where this can occur is the Olympics.