Pay in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) has been a hot topic for quite some time now, with many in the boxing arena scoffing at the pay their combat brothers and sisters make compared to their own purses.
Oscar De La Hoya, for one, is disgusted by the pay structure in the world of MMA, as he tells Fight Hub TV it makes him sick to his stomach to see just how little many professional cage fighters get paid to put their lives on the line.
That is one of the reasons why he created Golden Boy MMA, his brain child that will see Tito Ortiz take on Chuck Liddell for a third time at it’s inaugural event. “The Golden Boy” also revealed a possible date for the bout.
“We are looking at the weekend of November 25th, the Thanksgiving weekend. So yeah, we are going to do it big just like we do it. I am really looking forward to getting into the MMA world and making sure that these fighters are being compensated well. Look, we risk our lives up in the ring, so fighters should be compensated extremely well. The current structure is terrible. I have been talking to many, many fighters in MMA and it’s ridiculous what they get paid. It’s crazy, it makes me sick to my stomach. So I’m going to start Golden Boy MMA for a reason, and it’s going to start with Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, to pay them correctly. To pay them what they deserve.”
The trilogy fight between Liddell and Ortiz has received plenty of harsh criticism from many, UFC president Dana White included.
But since Oscar and White haven’t seen eye-to-eye as of late, the former world boxing champion doesn’t really care a whole lot what his former friend thinks. Now, it remains to be seen if Dana White and Co. will reach into their old bag of tricks of trying to counter the competitions programming.
Nevertheless, I’m sure many fighters will be thrilled to know they now have another option to consider once free agency rolls around.