After years of fighting in both the UFC and Bellator, Matt “Meathead” Mitrione knows both sides of the top levels of mixed martial arts (MMA). The former professional football player has always been an outspoken voice in the sport, and it got him into trouble with the UFC at times. But that didn’t stop him […]
After years of fighting in both the UFC and Bellator, Matt “Meathead” Mitrione knows both sides of the top levels of mixed martial arts (MMA).
The former professional football player has always been an outspoken voice in the sport, and it got him into trouble with the UFC at times. But that didn’t stop him from voicing his concerns about fighter pay and treatment in the UFC, topics that are at the forefront of the current era despite not much, if anything, being done about them by fighters from a collective bargaining standpoint.
The UFC, and especially controversial president Dana White, seem to make headlines with each passing day about how poorly they compensate and accommodate athletes. When you hear White call a current champion “full of s**t” on live television, it’s hard to argue otherwise.
And not surprisingly, Mitrione has how own take on the subject. Having fought for both major MMA promotions, “Meathead” discussed the issue on this week’s episode of The MMA Hour, adding that the UFC is getting in its own way in terms of fighter relations:
“Freedom and obviously the sponsorship dollars. So, I am happy, I mean I can always be happier (with sponsorship ), but I am happy. It’s good business. It’s just nice, man. The UFC can not get out of its own way. I think it’s pretty evident in what they do, their consistent missteps.
“How they handle their guys, the media, like not giving the show money to that cat who made weight. Stuff like that, little tiny things that are just another notch against. I feel like they are, not in a colossal nose dive, but I do not think they are in the right spot. I feel like what Mr. Coker does very casually is what he needs to do to bring fans, eyes over to Bellator. And I think the production is completely different over at Bellator. It’s a spectacle, he took a page out of old Japanese MMA and made it bananas.”
Coker has made an impact on Bellator, especially in terms of Mitrione’s career, as he knocked out all-time legend Fedor Emelianenko last year in their cage.
But claiming he’s made it ‘bananas’ may be a bit of hyperbole meant to build up his new employer, because Bellator, like the UFC, isn’t blowing the roof off in terms of overall ratings during the last couple of MMA-slogged years.
That’s a moot point, however, and overall it seems that the fighters still in the UFC are reaching a breaking point in terms of pay and treatment. If they can eve get organized and do something about it remains to be seen.
With the UFC’s rough start to 2017 now almost in the middle of June, the topic of just how bad the year is for the UFC is not only an oft-discussed talking point, but it has become a brooding specter of uncertainty at this point, one that could ultimately spell doom for the outfit that […]
With the UFC’s rough start to 2017 now almost in the middle of June, the topic of just how bad the year is for the UFC is not only an oft-discussed talking point, but it has become a brooding specter of uncertainty at this point, one that could ultimately spell doom for the outfit that has led MMA for so long.
The reasons why this unfortunate circumstance is becoming clear are many, and indeed they’ve been brewing for several years in more than one instance. The fact that the company is under new ownership after Hollywood talent giant WME-IMG purchased the UFC for a record-breaking $4.2 billion last July is obviously a huge motivating factor why the UFC is failing, but there are many others that only speed up that process.
Several MMA pundits have predicted grey skies for at least the immediate future of the UFC, and it’s hard to predict a quick turnaround for the promotion in the final seven months of the year, even if at least a few big fights are on the horizon. What’s more, there are even a few more ominous signs that suggest the new owners are possibly running the world’s biggest MMA company into the ground for good.
Let’s take a look at the biggest reasons why the UFC is spiraling downward rapidly.
5. Dana White’s Strong-Arm Tactics:
There’s no denying that White, alongside with his childhood friends and Las Vegas casino moguls Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, saved MMA and the UFC from dying off when they purchased the company back in the late 20th century. They then parlayed that gamble into one of the most lucrative rags-to-riches (figuratively) stories in combat sports, turning MMA into a worldwide phenomenon while making the UFC one of sports’ most coveted properties by the time it reached its height in 2016.
A lot of that financial success was built on paying fighters the bare minimum, however, and that fact was effectively kept under wraps when the Fertittas were in charge, but absolutely exploded on to the forefront of most MMA discussion when WME-IMG bought it for a seemingly ludicrous $4.2 billion last year.
But White, who was kept on as president and the company’s public face, has recently seen this strong-arm strategy backfire in his face and in no small way. His messy feud with dominant flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson that recently spilled over into the media is the most glaring – and poignant – example.
Fighters aren’t going to take whatever scraps the UFC offers them now that they know how much they’re really worth, and while they’ve failed to effectively organize in any lasting form to this point, White’s bullying clearly isn’t going to scare today’s fighters into signing whatever is put in front of them and their managers.
Dana White unloads both barrels in his latest rant… Since the formation of the MMAAA, its fair to say things have been a mess. The two arguably most well-known athletes, GSP and Donald Cerrone, now kinda rekindled their relationship with the UFC. Another athlete involved, Tim Kennedy, then voiced his stance against former Bellator CEO
Dana White unloads both barrels in his latest rant…
Since the formation of the MMAAA, its fair to say things have been a mess. The two arguably most well-known athletes, GSP and Donald Cerrone, now kinda rekindled their relationship with the UFC. Another athlete involved, Tim Kennedy, then voiced his stance against former Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney’s involvement. All this in the space of just one week! Looking like the MMAAA might be in for an uphill battle? Very much so, and UFC president Dana White is sinking his teeth in to the matter.
Last week White claimed Bjorn Rebney is the ‘biggest scumbag’ in sports today. Responding to these comments, Rebney made a rather bold statement about UFC fighter pay. Taking to his Twitter feed, the former Bellator boss ‘shamed’ the UFC by saying they only pay fighters 8% of their gross revenue. These comments, as well as Rebney’s alleged shady past in MMA and boxing, have led to a furious reaction from Dana White.
Ask Sugar Ray Leonard
Speaking with Sportsnet.ca, UFC president Dana White went on the warpath. Discussing Bjorn Rebney’s 8% fighter pay claims, White sent out some comments that are interesting, to say the least:
“There’s three unions out there right now, they all have their hands in fighters pockets, and they’re all fighting against each other. They are businesses. The thing used to be ‘let’s start a MMA promotion and make money,’ the thing now is to start a union. Listen, these are all grown men and women we are talking about. When you are a fighter or celebrity, someone is always going to have their hands in their pockets. At the end of the day, the big fail on this thing, is putting ‘Bjork’ Rebney on this thing. This guy is such a dirty, scummy human being he had to leave boxing and come to MMA. That’s how bad this guy is.”
“One of the classiest, smart and legendary guys you’ll ever meet is Sugar Ray. Ask Sugar Ray Leonard what kind of person ‘Bjork’ Rebney is. That guy is so dirty, do you really want his hand in your pocket? You are sadly mistaken if you really think I care about all these things going on. That’s the other thing too, if you want to start a credible union, you should really have your facts straight. You wanna have a plan, they had none of that. When they say we pay the fighters 8% of the revenue, I thought they meant just Conor, not all the fighters. That’s just not true. ‘Bjork’ said ‘when I was doing this, I paid fighters 53%’ There was no revenue! If we are going by that logic, I used to pay the fighters 250% of the revenue. There was no revenue ‘Bjork,’ you dope!”
‘Shots Fired’ Doesn’t Cover It
After hearing what White had to say, there are a few questions raised. First off, is Bjorn Rebney really that bad? If not, perhaps this is your typical smear campaign. On the other hand, if Rebney really is in this for his own benefit, the MMAAA might already be dead in the water.
Obviously very few people expected smooth sailing between the UFC and the fighters association, but things have gotten off to an extremely rough start. Last week the announcement of the MMAAA was revealed, with the target of changing many aspects of the sport. One of the main objectives discussed was fighter pay, but the issues
Obviously very few people expected smooth sailing between the UFC and the fighters association, but things have gotten off to an extremely rough start. Last week the announcement of the MMAAA was revealed, with the target of changing many aspects of the sport. One of the main objectives discussed was fighter pay, but the issues run far deeper and in to more complicated territory. After years of alleged maltreatment by the UFC, the MMAAA, led by Georges St-Pierre, has seen enough.
Also brought to the table were concerns over health care, post-career care, benefits and pensions. Overall, the formation of the association seems to be a big step forward for fighters. UFC president Dana White had a cautionary message for UFC employees. Blasting Donald Cerrone for joining the association, the UFC president claimed the MMAAA would ‘have hands in fighter’s pockets.’ Sending out a clear message, White also ripped former Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney for his involvement.
Dana Claimed ‘Bjork’ Is a Scumbag
Yesterday Dana White’s comments about Bjorn Rebney were less than savoury. The UFC president claimed ‘Bjork’ is the biggest scumbag in MMA, further making clear his stance on the MMAAA. In response to this criticism, Rebney pointed out the amount of money the UFC actually pays their fighters:
.@danawhite You pay fighters 8 cents on the $. No pension, No benefits, No safety net & your Co.’s worth $4 Billion! U should be ashamed.
After reportedly making $157 million profit in 2015, this claim by Bjorn Rebney about the UFC is intriguing. Doing the math, this would mean out of the UFC’s gross income of $600 million in 2015, $48 million would have been spent on fighter pay. To put things in perspective, Conor McGregor’s 2015 disclosed UFC salary was around $1.4 million USD. This does not include any locker room bonuses or other contractual rewards that weren’t disclosed.
With just over 600 fighters on the roster in October 2015, if Rebney’s accusations are true, the largest chunk of the UFC’s disclosed salaries are going to very few fighters. Leaving 46.4 million to pay the other some 599 fighters (estimated) that means they made on average 77K each. Taking in to account the higher average wage of champions and bigger draws, do you feel Rebney’s claims hold weight?
There’s been a lot of talk about UFC fighter pay in the recent years. Following the litigation brought to Zuffa by disgruntled former employees Cung Le, Nate Quarry and co., these issues were really put under the microscope. Moving forward to present day, the game is all about those big money fights. Who really benefits
There’s been a lot of talk about UFC fighter pay in the recent years. Following the litigation brought to Zuffa by disgruntled former employees Cung Le, Nate Quarry and co., these issues were really put under the microscope. Moving forward to present day, the game is all about those big money fights. Who really benefits from these titan pay-per-views though? Guys like Conor McGregor are savvy enough to make bank, it’s the promotion who is taking the lion’s share. Should we expect any different from a business? Maybe its just everyone else apart from the UFC brass who sees mixed martial arts as a sport.
Certainly McGregor sees the business aspect, and is arguably following the blueprint laid down by his boxing counterpart, Floyd Mayweather. ‘Money’ reinvented boxing during the late 90’s and 2000’s through to present day. Raking in record-breaking purses and PPV points from his title fights, Mayweather is now acting as a mentor to upcoming champions. The link between McGregor and Mayweather and their fairy tale fight earlier this year was no co-incidence, albeit never even close to being a reality.
Money
With Mayweather’s expertise in making money being passed around in private, he’s now taking aim at UFC president Dana White. In a recent interview with Fight Hype, Mayweather says it’s easy for White to make money in mass amounts while fighters struggle.
“It’s easy to get a ton of money off these UFC guys while they’re not really getting paid. He’s living better than the UFC guys. It’s easy for him to talk about that stuff when he’s never been in a contact sport. They say ‘Oh, Floyd is living better than all his fighters,’ well guess what, I was a fighter myself. So I put in the work on both sides.”
Thoughts?
UFC president Dana White has been around the sport for years, longer than any current fighters on the roster (with Dan Henderson now retiring). He made a considerable chunk of cash when the promotion sold up for $4.2 billion recently, should certain fighters be getting paid low-end five figures to fight?
Fan favorite MMA fighter Donald Cerrone recently co-headlined June’s UFC Fight Night 89 and put on perhaps the best performance of his 10-year MMA career when he stopped notoriously durable Patrick Cote with strikes in the third round of their welterweight affair. After a bout of wildly inconsistent results against the absolute elite of the […]
Fan favorite MMA fighter Donald Cerrone recently co-headlined June’s UFC Fight Night 89 and put on perhaps the best performance of his 10-year MMA career when he stopped notoriously durable Patrick Cote with strikes in the third round of their welterweight affair.
After a bout of wildly inconsistent results against the absolute elite of the 155-pound division, he looked every bit a potential world champion, and affirmed his possible status as a serious threat to both the 155 or 170-pound titles.
In the post-fight press conference, Cerrone was asked what he meant to the company.
His response, like his octagon performance, pulled no punches:
Cerrone isn’t the only athlete to express discontent with the UFC brass for their remuneration. Fighters both past and present have spoken candidly about the ubiquitous lack of financial security that overshadows a career in MMA’s premier promotion.
And to be frank, in 2016 with UFC profits at an all-time high and the company recently having been sold for a record-setting $4 billion, it’s indefensible.
The line that the UFC is sticking to is that all fighters want to make “millions,” but to get there, they have to win consistently, fight in a fan-friendly style, and promote themselves to a wider audience in the media.
However, this defense critically ignores the fact that the majority of complaints from fighters aren’t that they’re not millionaires – it’s that they’re unable to make a living wage.
This is a reality made painfully clear by former top-10 lightweight Myles Jury, who broke down his training expenses such as gym fees, management, taxes, medicals, coaching, and miscellaneous expenses last October to show that, even with a victory, he was barely making $6,000 a fight.
More recently, No. 7-ranked strawweight Joanne Calderwood stated that she was “broke as hell” after her breakout performance against former title contender Valerie Letourneau, and would have to go back to her job so that she could save enough money just to continue training.
Amongst the relatively unknown contenders crying out for better pay are higher-profile fighters like current UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic, who still works as a full-time firefighter; former heavyweight champ Shane Carwin, who worked full-time as an engineer when he was atop the heavyweight throne, and lightweight contender Nate Diaz, who – until beating the UFC’s poster boy Conor McGregor – was earning a maximum of $40,000 a fight ( only $20,000 if he lost).
When you account for the detrimental effects of the Reebok deal, which robbed fighters of their ability to accrue sponsorship income and promote their own personal brand to external stakeholders (they get a ludicrously small Reebok stipend as compensation), the fact that fighters are contractually restricted from fighting and earning money in other promotions; and that, fighters are still classified as “independent contractors” instead of employees, thereby depriving them of benefits they would otherwise entitle to (like pensions), it’s simply absurd to act like the onus for meager fight purses is on the combatants themselves.
It also begs the question of whether a business model premised on minimizing fighter remuneration works to the detriment of the sport’s long-term growth.
Realistically, how many young men and women with a skillset conducive to professional combat are likely to take that risk when the median payout for the top MMA promotion in the world is a laughable $24,500 a fight? How many young athletes with the potential to be world-beaters have opted to pursue other professional sports – like basketball or football – simply because the conditions are so much more favorable and the risks much more manageable?
Further, the fact that the UFC promises that those who “win them all” can set themselves apart from the average earner is hardly a justification for the UFC pay structure.
The inherent volatility of MMA as a sport – five champions were dethroned by significant underdogs in the last ten weeks alone– dictates that few fighters can sustain a winning streak after breaking into the world ranking. Moreover, it is precisely the highly competitive “anything can happen” nature of the sport that makes it so attractive to its fans.
And then there’s the politics that goes behind making big-money match ups, like title fights, where athletic merit very frequently comes second to courting mainstream attention (I discussed about that here).
Case in point is the UFC’s announcement this week that Dan Henderson, the No. 13-ranked middleweight who has gone a paltry 3-6 in his last nine fights, will fight newly minted champion Michael Bisping for the belt later this year. Passing over better and more deserving contenders – like Ronald “Jacare” Souza (No. 3) and Robert Whittaker (No. 6) – is one thing, but when your only defense for underpaying your fighters is that they need to win more fights, and win “big” fights, you don’t have a leg to stand on.
In 2016, the conversation about fighter pay is more important than ever. The UFC just sold for $4 billion dollars and has a very diversified revenue stream consisting of subscription-based streaming service “Fight Pass,” an immensely popular video game series with EA Sports, their television deal with FOX Sports, and pay-per-view events that set fans back fans $60 apiece to watch the most high-profile fights.
These wouldn’t be possible without legions of men and women willing to put their bodies on the line, and it’s about time that we, as fans and commentators on the sport, recognized that all of them – not just the McGregors and the Rouseys – deserve a bigger slice of pie.
With legislation that would extend the Ali Act – which would require MMA promotions to disclose their revenue in contract negotiations and regulate title fights based on an objective ranking system – soon to be introduced into Congress, and Mark Hunt recently making an impassioned plea for a fighters union, it’s also a time where our opinion, and that of the mainstream media, matters most.
Because right now, it’s just not good enough.
Right now, it’s hard to argue with Cerrone’s assessment.
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