Outside the Lines Investigates UFC Pay, But Questions Remain

Filed under: MMA Media Watch, UFCSunday morning marked the airing of an Outside the Lines segment on ESPN that was denounced by UFC President Dana White before he had even seen it — a show that presented the UFC’s pay model as one that richly rewards …

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Sunday morning marked the airing of an Outside the Lines segment on ESPN that was denounced by UFC President Dana White before he had even seen it — a show that presented the UFC’s pay model as one that richly rewards a handful of favorite stars while paying the majority of fighters as interchangeable drones.

White has already promised a response, and he’ll surely say that ESPN’s report contained incomplete information about how much the company pays its fighters. And he’ll surely be right, for the simple reason that the UFC, like many private businesses, keeps what it pays its workers confidential. ESPN deserves credit for attempting to uncover the closely guarded secret of how much UFC fighters actually make, but specific dollar amounts were lacking in this report.

For all the work that went into the Outside the Lines report, we still don’t know how much the UFC really pays its fighters.

Outside the Lines has spoken with more than 20 current, former and potential UFC fighters, as well as agents and promoters,” ESPN’s John Barr said as he strolled around a cage in the televised segment. “To a person, they say UFC fighters have not received their fair share of the company’s rapidly increasing revenue. Nearly all of them also refused to speak on camera, for fear the UFC would blackball them.”

But the fact that ESPN couldn’t get any active fighters to speak — and especially to reveal specific dollar amounts — was the biggest flaw in the report. The report did make a strong case that highly paid UFC fighters make far more than low-level fighters make. In that respect the UFC follows a pay model similar to that of Hollywood studios, where a handful of stars make the bulk of the money, and the bit players are left with much less.




And while UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta claimed that the UFC pays its fighters in the neighborhood of 50 percent of all the promotion’s revenues, ESPN’s investigation made a convincing case that the UFC actually pays less than that.


However, there were also some weaknesses of ESPN’s reporting, which pegged the actual amount the UFC pays its fighters as “roughly 10 percent of the revenue.”

ESPN.com initially reported that the median annual income for UFC fighters was $17,000 to $23,000 a year, citing figures compiled by Rob Maysey of the Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Association. ESPN later corrected that report and said the $17,000 to $23,000 figure was actually the median pay per fight, not per year. However, even those corrected numbers do not appear to include sponsorships, bonuses and other forms of income that UFC fighters make.

And median pay per fight isn’t necessarily a particularly telling statistic. Consider a low-level UFC newcomer who signs a contract that guarantees him $6,000 to show, and another $6,000 to win for his first fight, then $8,000 for his second fight and $10,000 for his third. If that fighter fights three times, wins all three fights and earns a $75,000 Knockout of the Night bonus in his third fight, his median pay per fight would only be $16,000. But his total pay for the three fights would be $123,000, for an average of $41,000 a fight.

For an example of an entry-level fighter who has cashed in big time with bonuses, look at Edson Barboza, who signed with the UFC in 2010 after having six pro fights in small regional promotions. Barboza’s “show money” is reportedly just $6,000 a fight. But Barboza has won all four of his fights, meaning he also got a $6,000 win bonus for all four fights, and Barboza has received three Fight of the Night bonuses and one Knockout of the Night bonus (including both Fight of the Night and Knockout of the Night on Saturday at UFC 142). Thanks to the UFC’s bonus-heavy pay structure, Barboza’s total take for his first four UFC fights is at least $348,000, even before any sponsorships or other sources of income.

Even without bonuses, entry-level fighters aren’t necessarily doing too badly. One such fighter is UFC featherweight Jim Hettes. Hettes was an unknown in MMA circles, fighting on the regional scene, until he caught a break in August and signed with the UFC on a deal that paid him $6,000 to show and $6,000 to win on his first fight, and then $8,000 to show and $8,000 to win on his second fight. Hettes won both fights, for a total take of $28,000, and is now looking like one of the brightest young prospects in the featherweight division.

For a 24-year-old like Hettes, making $28,000 in five months while fighting in the UFC, with a good chance of making a lot more than that in the future, is a dream come true. ESPN didn’t quote any active fighters complaining about their pay on the record and indicated that the inability to find such fighters was a sign that fighters were scared to speak out. But maybe the reality is most UFC fighters are OK with what they make.

In fact, when low-level fighters are released from the UFC because of losses they suffer in the Octagon, they almost universally express a desire to win enough fights in other promotions to earn the right to return to the UFC — which strongly suggests that they don’t view the contracts they’ve just been released from as onerous.

The handful of mid-level fighters who have been released from the UFC for reasons having to do with issues outside the Octagon (fighters like Jon Fitch, Nate Marquardt and Miguel Torres) also generally apologize for their transgressions and ask to return to the UFC. Again, that suggests that the contracts they were released from were better than the contracts they could earn in other promotions.

And the few prominent fighters who have become free agents, like Tito Ortiz, have generally decided when the dust settled that the grass was greener inside the Octagon than out of it. UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock appeared in the Outside the Lines report, and it may not have been clear to viewers who aren’t MMA fans that Shamrock made millions of dollars in the UFC, or that Shamrock left the promotion because he wasn’t good enough to win inside the Octagon anymore, not because he objected to the terms of his contract. That was clarified, however, in the panel discussion that took place after Barr’s taped Outside the Lines report.

It is true that a handful of well-known fighters have been able to leave the UFC and make more money elsewhere. That includes former heavyweight champions Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia, who both left the UFC to sign with Affliction in 2008. But Affliction fell apart after putting on just two fight cards, which suggests that its higher-paying business model didn’t work.

ESPN’s report would have been strengthened by addressing other promotions’ business models, including not only Affliction but also Bellator and other smaller American MMA organizations. The UFC is by far the biggest MMA promotion and therefore deserves to have by far the greatest scrutiny, but a comparison of the UFC’s pay scale with other promotions’ pay scales would have provided some valuable context.

Ultimately, as former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez said on Outside the Lines, “The UFC gives you the best opportunity.” It would be great to see more opportunities for more fighters, but at the moment, even if UFC pay is lacking, it beats the alternatives in MMA.

 

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‘UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes’ — Main Event Liveblog

“I’m not even kidding you, man! It must have been four feet of linguiça. And ‘Humble’ ate the whole thing, just now backstage!” (Photo: UFC.com)

It’s 1 AM in Rio De Janeiro and and the locals have turned out in droves to cheer on their countrymen and wish death upon foreigners. It may not be very sporting of them, but we’ve pretty much thrown professionalism out the window this weekend.

Is Mendes the right Alpha Male to topple Aldo in his own backyard? Does Belfort have enough power to put away one of the UFC’s top heavyweights? And will Palhares’s overwhelming desire to tear limbs apart overcome his instinct to stop fighting in the middle of a bout?

Come join me, Chris Colemon, inside for the answers to these questions and more.

“I’m not even kidding you, man! It must have been four feet of linguiça. And ‘Humble’ ate the whole thing, just now backstage!” (Photo: UFC.com)

It’s 1 AM in Rio De Janeiro and and the locals have turned out in droves to cheer on their countrymen and wish death upon foreigners. It may not be very sporting of them, but we’ve pretty much thrown professionalism out the window this weekend.

Is Mendes the right Alpha Male to topple Aldo in his own backyard? Does Belfort have enough power to put away one of the UFC’s top heavyweights? And will Palhares’s overwhelming desire to tear limbs apart overcome his instinct to stop fighting in the middle of a bout?

Come join me, Chris Colemon, inside for the answers to these questions and more.

I thought the FOX era was supposed to signal the end of the Gladiator intro, but I guess that only counts for FOX broadcasts. That’s a shame.

And we aren’t wasting much time. It’s been a strong showing for Brazil thus far. Let’s see if Etim can turn the tides.

Edson Barboza, Jr. vs. Terry Etim

I don’t speak Portuguese, but I had an easier time understanding Barboza’s prefight interview than I did Etim’s. Bruce Buffer, man of the world, caters to the home crowd in his introduction.

R1: If you forget who is who, the Brazilian is the one with the tan. Big Dan is in control of things. Both men swing awahy and Etim gets the early takedown, but they quickly pop back up. Barboza blocks a head kick. Etim fakes a punch and shoots for another takedown, but Barboza sweeps and gets back up. They’re feeling each other out, and Barboza misses with a wild punch before finding his mark with a pair of leg kicks. Barboza’s thrown quite a few shots to the break basket. Barboza sees the takedown coming and stuffs the Brit. The crowd is chanting something–it undoubtedly involves Etim meeting his maker. Barboza charges in and connects with a combination. Woo, powerful spinning back kick from Barboza to shut out the round.


R2:
Etim comes out much more active, but he’s still eating leg kicks. Etim lands a leg kick and follows up with another to the head but it’s blocked. Etim gets stuffed on a takedown and eats a knee to the gut. If he can’t land these takedowns, he needs to get more aggressive in the standup, and he’s making the effort. Barboza’s been landing heavy kicks to Etim’s lead leg throughout the bout, and he’s sticking with the formula. Etim with a head kick and spinning back kick of his own. Etim with a takedown from across the cage. He lands it but it’s as short lived as the others. Barboza digs in with a body shot and follows it up top. Strong switch kick to the body by the Brazilian to close out the round.

R3: Really wish they would have secured local talent for the ring card girls. Am I alone in that? They’re trading early in round three. Etim with a failed flying knee, or “jumping knee” as Goldy called it earlier. Both men are sticking to their plan: Barboza lands a leg kick and Etim fails a takedown. Annnnd Barboza whips around with a magnificent spinning wheel kick! Tiiiiimbeeer! He catches Etim square in the face and this is a wrap!

Edson Barboza def. Terry Etim by Knock Out (2:02 R3)

Rogan calls this the first ever spinning heel kick knock out in UFC history. He’d probably know. A nice finish to kick off the PPV card, and the Brazilians are rolling tonight.

UFC 142 Bonuses: Edson Barboza Wins Knockout, Fight of the Night

Filed under: UFC, NewsBrazilian lightweight Edson Barboza outdid himself Saturday at UFC 142 in Brazil, not only claiming his third straight Fight of the Night, but also the Knockout of the Night honor as well.

With each UFC 142 post-fight bonus worth…

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Brazilian lightweight Edson Barboza outdid himself Saturday at UFC 142 in Brazil, not only claiming his third straight Fight of the Night, but also the Knockout of the Night honor as well.

With each UFC 142 post-fight bonus worth $65,000, Barboza pocketed $130,000 in addition to his fight purse.

Barboza and Terry Etim shared the Fight of the Night honor for their pay-per-view opener, the only fight on the main card to go past the first round. And Barboza’s spectacular finish set the tone for what turned out to be a wild night of fights.

After controlling most of the fight with leg kicks, Barboza landed a wheel kick to knock Etim out cold at two minutes and two seconds of the third round. In executing the first wheel kick knockout in the UFC, Barboza won his fourth straight UFC fight and advanced his MMA record to 10-0 overall.

For Submission of the Night, Rousimar Palhares made another bid towards becoming the most dangerous leglock specialist in the UFC, needing just 63 seconds to force Mike Massenzio to submit. The heel hook was Palhares’ third in the UFC and his fourth leglock finish in the UFC.

The UFC 142 bonuses set at $65,000 is just $10,000 short of the performance bonuses handed out at UFC 141 in Las Vegas.

 

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UFC 142 Results: Edson Barboza Knocks Out Terry Etim in Spectacular Fashion

Filed under: UFC, NewsEdson Barboza is still undefeated, and he ran his record to a perfect 10-0 with an absolutely sensational knockout of Terry Etim at UFC 142.

After getting the better of Etim in the stand-up in the first and second rounds, Barboza…

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Edson Barboza knocks out Terry Etim at UFC 142.Edson Barboza is still undefeated, and he ran his record to a perfect 10-0 with an absolutely sensational knockout of Terry Etim at UFC 142.

After getting the better of Etim in the stand-up in the first and second rounds, Barboza put on a show in the third, with a spinning wheel kick that landed perfectly to Etim’s chin and knocked him cold.

Etim was obviously out cold the instant the kick landed, and he fell straight backward onto the canvas.




Etim immediately went for a takedown in the opening seconds of the first round, and it was obvious that he didn’t want to stand with Barboza, who’s a lethal striker. But Barboza showed great takedown defense and did a nice job of sweeping Etim when the fight did go to the ground, and it was Barboza who kept the fight standing, landed solid leg kicks and controlled the first round of the fight.

The second round was more of the same: Barboza got the better of the striking exchanges, and when Etim managed to take Barboza down, Barboza popped right back up. Etim actually landed a couple of effective kicks in the second round, but Barboza was the one landing the harder kicks and following them with punches, and it was Barboza controlling the fight in the stand-up.

And then came the third, when Barboza had one of the greatest highlight-reel knockout kicks you’ll ever see. It was a brilliant striking display from a great young fighter.

“When you fight in Brazil, it’s unlike fighting in any other place in the world. In a fight, you try things and hope they work,” Barboza said. “Tonight, it (the kick) worked. It’s something I’ve practiced a lot and I finally was able to land it hard. I’m happy with this outcome and you can expect more of that soon.”

 

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UFC 142 Live Blog: Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim Updates

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Edson Barboza will face Terry Etim at UFC 142.This is the UFC 142 live blog for Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim, a lightweight bout on tonight’s UFC pay-per-view from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Barboza (9-0) holds UFC wins over Mike Lullo, Anthony Njokuani and Ross Pearson. Etim (15-3), who has won five of his last six UFC fights, fought once in 2011 and submitted Edward Faaloloto at UFC 138.

The live blog is below.




Etim enters to “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins. Dan Miragliotta is the referee.

Round 1: Etim is aggressive to start. The Brit shoots for the takedown but Barboza defends. Etim stalks with jabs. Etim fakes a punch and shoots. Etim gets close to finishing the takedown but Barboza reverses and they are back to their feet. Barboza lands a big leg kick. Barboza connects on two more leg kicks. Barboza lands with a punch to the body. Etim lands a jab but Barboza responds with a left hook. Etim tries another takedown attempt and Barboz again successfully defends. Etim’s jabs are working for him. Barboza connects on more leg kicks. Etim fires back with a leg kick of his own. Nice spinning back kick to the body ends the round. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Barboza.

Round 2: Etim is comfortable throwing roundhouse kicks but Barboza has the head kick well scouted. Barboza is landing a number of leg kicks and we’ll have to see if the damage will take a toll on Etim as the fight progresses. Etim keeps an eye out to check the kicks but he’s not blocking half of them. Etim misses on a spinning back kick. Nice right hand by Etim. Etim shoots with 1:38 remaining and he puts Barboza on his back. However, Barboza explodes back up. That’s gotta be frustrating. MMA Fighting scores the close second round 10-9 in favor of Barboza.

Round 3: Barboza’s crisp kickboxing is fun to watch. Out of nowhere Barboza lands a spinning wheel kick to the face that sends Etim crashing to the floor stiff like a tree. What a spectacular knockout.

That’s your KO of the night right there and an early candidate for knockout of the year.

Barboza wins via knockout – Round 3, 2:02

 

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Filed under:

Edson Barboza will face Terry Etim at UFC 142.This is the UFC 142 live blog for Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim, a lightweight bout on tonight’s UFC pay-per-view from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Barboza (9-0) holds UFC wins over Mike Lullo, Anthony Njokuani and Ross Pearson. Etim (15-3), who has won five of his last six UFC fights, fought once in 2011 and submitted Edward Faaloloto at UFC 138.

The live blog is below.




Etim enters to “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins. Dan Miragliotta is the referee.

Round 1: Etim is aggressive to start. The Brit shoots for the takedown but Barboza defends. Etim stalks with jabs. Etim fakes a punch and shoots. Etim gets close to finishing the takedown but Barboza reverses and they are back to their feet. Barboza lands a big leg kick. Barboza connects on two more leg kicks. Barboza lands with a punch to the body. Etim lands a jab but Barboza responds with a left hook. Etim tries another takedown attempt and Barboz again successfully defends. Etim’s jabs are working for him. Barboza connects on more leg kicks. Etim fires back with a leg kick of his own. Nice spinning back kick to the body ends the round. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Barboza.

Round 2: Etim is comfortable throwing roundhouse kicks but Barboza has the head kick well scouted. Barboza is landing a number of leg kicks and we’ll have to see if the damage will take a toll on Etim as the fight progresses. Etim keeps an eye out to check the kicks but he’s not blocking half of them. Etim misses on a spinning back kick. Nice right hand by Etim. Etim shoots with 1:38 remaining and he puts Barboza on his back. However, Barboza explodes back up. That’s gotta be frustrating. MMA Fighting scores the close second round 10-9 in favor of Barboza.

Round 3: Barboza’s crisp kickboxing is fun to watch. Out of nowhere Barboza lands a spinning wheel kick to the face that sends Etim crashing to the floor stiff like a tree. What a spectacular knockout.

That’s your KO of the night right there and an early candidate for knockout of the year.

Barboza wins via knockout – Round 3, 2:02

 

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Edson Barboza: I Want to Give the UFC an Opportunity to Consider Me for a Title Shot


(Edson Barboza uglies up Ross Pearson during his split-decision victory over the TUF 9 winner at UFC 134.)

By Anton Gurevich

This Saturday night, Edson Barboza will head to his native country of Brazil to take on English submission specialist Terry Etim at UFC 142 from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Quickly emerging as one of the lightweight division’s brightest young prospects, Barboza will look to extend his current undefeated streak to 10-0, with hopes of solidifying his place in the UFC’s stacked 155-pound title mix.

A product of The Armory Training Center in Florida, Barboza made his professional debut in 2009, reeling off six consecutive victories and capturing the Ring of Combat lightweight title before signing with the UFC in 2010. Utilizing crippling leg-kicks and precision striking, the Brazilian dispatched of Mike Lullo via TKO in his Octagon debut, which he followed up with back-to-back “Fight of the Night” performances against Anthony Njokuani and Ross Pearson to improve his UFC mark to 3-0.

Now just days ahead of what will be his second homecoming in less than six-months, LowKick.com had an opportunity to speak with Barboza about this weekend’s match-up. Here’s what he had to say about his training at The Armory, his title aspirations, and how his striking stacks up against other UFC lightweights.

READ THE INTERVIEW ON LOWKICK.BLITZCORNER.COM!


(Edson Barboza uglies up Ross Pearson during his split-decision victory over the TUF 9 winner at UFC 134.)

By Anton Gurevich

This Saturday night, Edson Barboza will head to his native country of Brazil to take on English submission specialist Terry Etim at UFC 142 from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Quickly emerging as one of the lightweight division’s brightest young prospects, Barboza will look to extend his current undefeated streak to 10-0, with hopes of solidifying his place in the UFC’s stacked 155-pound title mix.

A product of The Armory Training Center in Florida, Barboza made his professional debut in 2009, reeling off six consecutive victories and capturing the Ring of Combat lightweight title before signing with the UFC in 2010. Utilizing crippling leg-kicks and precision striking, the Brazilian dispatched of Mike Lullo via TKO in his Octagon debut, which he followed up with back-to-back “Fight of the Night” performances against Anthony Njokuani and Ross Pearson to improve his UFC mark to 3-0.

Now just days ahead of what will be his second homecoming in less than six-months, LowKick.com had an opportunity to speak with Barboza about this weekend’s match-up. Here’s what he had to say about his training at The Armory, his title aspirations, and how his striking stacks up against other UFC lightweights.

READ THE INTERVIEW ON LOWKICK.BLITZCORNER.COM!