Fighter pay increase. Why?

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Kompromat

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So there has been another thread recently where it was stated how fighters are getting even less pay than in previous year in terms of pay to revenue (or pay to profits). It has caused yet another outburst of criticism of how bad and stingy UFC is and caused more calls for them to address the issue.

But I haven't really seen opinions and arguments on what benefits it gives to the actual fight game. So what are they? How is this going to benefit the fight game and MMA in general if UFC raises the fighter pay? Surely as a person I would be happy for someone getting paid even more for doing a legal and fair work, but as for MMA fan, what would be the interest?

Will the quality of fights become better? Or fighters will become more cautious, afraid to lose, and losing the win bonus? Will the fights become more frequent, especially between elites and championship ones become more frequent? Looking at boxing, it might not be the case .. People are criticizing lack of motion and championship fights in certain divisions already, as is ..

Will it draw better talent to the MMA? How can we be sure? A lot of fans have an opinion that stars of the past were better than the current ones when the pay wasn't anywhere close to the current numbers..

An argument I saw was that Bellator pays around 50% of revenue to fighters .. So what? They still pay less in actual numbers .. This ratio is only a testament that they are inferior as a promotion and as a business to the UFC. How should that press UFC to pay more, if they are paying more than anyone else already (in general)?

Isn't that the lack of demand in general that is problem and had it not been the case, the other promotions would have been able to pay more, and in turn force the UFC to pay more? But right now it is the UFC that is the main driver in the industry and generates new viewers so they might deserve what they are earning (I don't know anyone who first starting watching Bellator, One, PFL, before starting to watch UFC).

Anyways, what could be the objective benefits for us, MMA fans, if UFC raises fighter pay? So far from what I've seen the motive is "because screw Dana and his snow covered driveway" ..
 
Kompromat said:
I merely asked for opinions. Will increasing fighter pay benefit MMA in terms of fight quality or frequency? not really expressing my stance here
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No but soccer kicks, head stomps, and letting the fighters wear their own sponsored gear with their personal sponsor logos attached would. Oh ya also the sponsor banner hanging from the cage during the prefight and less cards. The UFC is shooting themselves in their own foot now.
 
Kompromat said:
So there has been another thread recently where it was stated how fighters are getting even less pay than in previous year in terms of pay to revenue (or pay to profits). It has caused yet another outburst of criticism of how bad and stingy UFC is and caused more calls for them to address the issue.

But I haven't really seen opinions and arguments on what benefits it gives to the actual fight game. So what are they? How is this going to benefit the fight game and MMA in general if UFC raises the fighter pay? Surely as a person I would be happy for someone getting paid even more for doing a legal and fair work, but as for MMA fan, what would be the interest?

Will the quality of fights become better? Or fighters will become more cautious, afraid to lose, and losing the win bonus? Will the fights become more frequent, especially between elites and championship ones become more frequent? Looking at boxing, it might not be the case .. People are criticizing lack of motion and championship fights in certain divisions already, as is ..

Will it draw better talent to the MMA? How can we be sure? A lot of fans have an opinion that stars of the past were better than the current ones when the pay wasn't anywhere close to the current numbers..

An argument I saw was that Bellator pays around 50% of revenue to fighters .. So what? They still pay less in actual numbers .. This ratio is only a testament that they are inferior as a promotion and as a business to the UFC. How should that press UFC to pay more, if they are paying more than anyone else already (in general)?

Isn't that the lack of demand in general that is problem and had it not been the case, the other promotions would have been able to pay more, and in turn force the UFC to pay more? But right now it is the UFC that is the main driver in the industry and generates new viewers so they might deserve what they are earning (I don't know anyone who first starting watching Bellator, One, PFL, before starting to watch UFC).

Anyways, what could be the objective benefits for us, MMA fans, if UFC raises fighter pay? So far from what I've seen the motive is "because screw Dana and his snow covered driveway" ..
Click to expand...

People just think it is morally unfair and exploitative, which is in a lot of ways it is.

From a business point of view the UFC appear to be ticking all the boxes. People claim the UFC is getting worse, but worse seems to mean more profitable for them.

There is no reason to pay more than when they are the highest paying org in town. They are running the business in the most profitable way while still growing. They clearly have it figured. A lot of people are critical but the numbers don't lie.
 
Because it’s a disgrace and a joke that Dana and the greedy owners are naming record profits while most UFC fighters are poor and putting their bodies on the line for them.

It’s disgraceful to see how poorly the fighters are treated, how they’re exploited and how much money is made off of it.

i have no idea why Dana’s shills want fighters to get paid peanuts to destroy their bodies. You’d think sherdog is profiting too the way some of these clowns act.

I like to see people treated with respect and paid fairly. I hate seeing blatant examples of greed being slurped up by bootlickers.
 
Honestly I feel that the issue is a more complicated one than most folks think. I often hear folks bring up fighter unions, but the MMAFA reps (Randy Couture and others), which is in the middle of a 600 year long class action law suit, actually argued AGAINST unions and made the case that they simply want to be treated like true independent contractors instead of "independent contractors", similar to professional tennis players. The Ali Act would apparently encompass more than just the UFC, theoretically, in that it would give fighters the ability to flex their market value (if I recall correctly). I do feel that folks seem to focus a lot on the UFC specifically when it comes to fighter pay -- I remember a couple years back, John Nash talked about the UFC being a monopsony which more or less impacted the whole industry.

As for how the sport would be impacted with better pay? Well, first of all, I care more about these athletes outside of competition than inside competition. But aside from that, YES you most definitely would be getting a better product with more pay to fighters, at least if my own anecdotal evidence has any value. I've trained MMA at too many gyms to count, and MMA fighters are very rarely full time fighters with no other source of income (even UFC fighters). They're typically carpenters, bouncers, retail workers, gym owners, etc. that train full time on top of working full or part time and they many times share a house with other fighters or even live in gyms or with coaches to afford their training.

I don't feel it reasonable that everyone that trains MMA with aspirations of becoming a pro fighter should be able to fight for a living wage, as it just isn't realistic and should be reserved for those with the necessary skills, but that being said, it's still very hard for even high level fighters to fight for a living and it largely impacts their training. More money allows fighters access to better resources for higher level training, self care, nutrition, travel, etc. I see all the time where the limiting factor for fighter progress is money in that they can't afford things that will aid in their career, be it transportation or training. More money would without question improve their overall ability, but I also don't know that such a solution is as easy as it may seem or sustainable.

I don't believe UFC paying more money by iteslf would have a huge ripple effect on the sport outside of their promotion.
 
ThaiSexPills said:
Because it’s a disgrace and a joke that Dana and the greedy owners are naming record profits while most UFC fighters are poor and putting their bodies on the line for them.

It’s disgraceful to see how poorly the fighters are treated, how they’re exploited and how much money is made off of it.

i have no idea why Dana’s shills want fighters to get paid peanuts to destroy their bodies. You’d think sherdog is profiting too the way some of these clowns act.

I like to see people treated with respect and paid fairly. I hate seeing blatant examples of greed being slurped up by bootlickers.
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Why the need to degrade everyone who doesn't hold your opinions?
 
Raising the level of pay may attract better athletes over time, especially in the range of 185lbs and up. As these guys are typically drawn to other sports or opportunities that pay better

But of course, there's no scholarship for cage fighting, the return on investment is horrible. And youre going to be damaged worse then most sports. It's just a question of in what way
 
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Kompromat said:
I merely asked for opinions. Will increasing fighter pay benefit MMA in terms of fight quality or frequency? not really expressing my stance here
Click to expand...
Who the fu** cares how it benefits the sport?
A McDonald's milkshake is £3 in England right now. Begrudging fighter pay during worldwide economical changes is hardly a big deal.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Kompromat said:
I merely asked for opinions. Will increasing fighter pay benefit MMA in terms of fight quality or frequency? not really expressing my stance here
Click to expand...
Yes of course it would, more people would be inclined to get into it as a long term career, increasing the talent pool.
Fighters would take more risk, knowing that they could afford medical bills.
You would have more people coming to the UFC, rather than staying in less viewed organisations for a chance at more money.
Francis would still be around, the pitbull brothers may have entered the UFC, so much talent outside the UFC would be more inclined to go for it.
Also the quality of fights would go up if they could afford better trainers, better nutritionists, and Dana would only hire the BEST, as he couldn't just chuck 10k at some bum to fill up a card whenever he wants to.

Also just the fact that these guys are your source of entertainment, and you should want them to live good lives seeing as they bring enjoyment to yours?
 
I can't substantiate any of the following, but here are a few considerations:

1. More money would attract more talent (e.g. especially 265+ lbs persons)

2. Fighters could access better health case and/or coverage and afford to take fewer risks.

3. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good gimmick, but not everyone is cut out to be a professional entertainer. More money would remove some burden on athletes to become "characters" and place it squarely in the hands of the promotor. UFC used to be better at this IMO.

4. Based on 2 and 3, outside of PPV headliners, match-making could be easier and/or more meritocratic since losing fights would carry less of a financial penalty. Athletes could focus more on their craft and less with brand building and their stock if they were getting paid regardless.
 
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