Dana is on record as saying the more he pays fighters, the less they try. This is obviously not the case with other major leagues where the players are paid more than ever before and are still breaking records and generally pushing their sports to new heights. They also have guaranteed money and are paid every two weeks all year. Is fighting different? Many fighters, both active and retired, are chiming in at the moment, spurred, unbelievably, by Jon Jones and his refusal to fight Francis Ngannou for what the UFC proposed. Gilbert Burns is taking heat for accepting a title fight at a cut rate. Jorge Masvidal refuses to take a cut in pay because his opponent isn't Nate Diaz, saying his value shouldn't depend on his opponent's. At the most recent event, bottom tier fighters on the card earned $10,000 to show and $10,000 to win. This is an improvement from 2006 when Sam Stout, who has involved himself in this discussion, was paid $2,000 to show and $2,000 to win. $20,000 three times a year is hardly enough to survive on given the costs of training, let alone $4,000. Is it ever going to be possible for the UFC fighters to collectively bargain? They lost their opportunity when the UFC signed it's TV deal with FOX, and another opportunity is coming up with the new apparel sponsor.
Its going to take another organization to run a tight ship and secure top level talent, IMO. DFW is a monster. I believe the UFC is the only sports organization that pays their fighters under 20% of the revenue. Someone as big as Conor should be pulling in $35-$50 million/fight. Jones should be pulling in about $20 mil/fight. The bare minimum for a new comer in the UFC should be $30,000/$30,000 IMO. There is no reason that $10,000/$10,000 is the base for the premiere organization in fighting. I hope in the next 5 years, there is an up and coming organization that will be run right and be able to secure talent.
