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Posted on 2012-01-15 at 12:58:13 by Tony Reid
I think it’s great that a media outlet outside the world of MMA addressed this obvious issue and for one reason…They can’t be blackballed! I joke, I joke, I keed, I keed. If you watched the segment this Sunday morning you heard that GSP reportedly rakes in about $4 million per fight while, which most of us knew, the guys on the low end of the totem pole are earning $6k fight/win purse to start. For those of you that are brand new to the MMA game this means that the fighter will take home $6k for showing up and if they win they will get another $6k as a win bonus. The scale grows from there, of course, all the way up to the elite fighters such as GSP that are making millions per fight. A number of the top tier guys also get a percentage of the pay per view buys, which is where the real money is found. This tidbit of fight salary info that the ESPN piece revolves around could be a little misleading…
In actuality the panel on OTL, which included former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez, ESPN’s MMA columnist Josh Gross and Rob Maysey of Mixed Martial Artists Fighters Association, did not add all that much to the conversation, at least nothing the average MMA fan didn’t already know. Ricco did say the following "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.” Which I feel, speaks to both sides of the argument. Yes, the UFC does offer the best opportunity because it is the only major player in the game, which was one of the key points of the segment. They are the major player in the game but not the only one. Has anyone heard of Bellator? Shark Fights? Ring of Combat? King of the Cage? You may say “Tony, you moron, of course there are other promotions but none near the level of the UFC.” I would tell you that I agree, so what are the viable options of a player in the NFL. NBA or MLB when they get cut? Nada.
The most interesting comments, to me, came from Lorenzo Fertitta himself. He stated that the UFC has made 39 millionaires to this point. Truly, that is an amazing number when you consider the UFC itself was bought for $2 million just over a decade ago. He also stated that since the company started making money in 2005, the company has paid a quarter of a billion dollars in fighter’s salaries. Yet another amazing statistic. He also made a statement to the effect that what the UFC has built was done the American way, in risking your own money, using your entrepreneurial spirit in creating and building something special, a comment I agree with wholeheartedly.
Here is where my problem with the company begins. First of all, I understand the UFC is a privately held company and they have no legal obligation to disclose their earnings as far as pay per view, live gate, merchandising and all other ancillary monies they earn. I get that, trust me, I do. But maybe, just maybe the UFC can learn something from boxing in this case. Boxing has the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, a federal law in which promoters are required to disclose to boxers how much money their fights generate. No such law applies to the sport of MMA. Trust me, this may be the only thing I would want the UFC or MMA to adopt from boxing but that would eliminate any potential confusion or further questions and allow everyone to operate on a level playing field, which, of course, could be the reason it has yet to be done. We all know from those after school commercials that “Knowledge is Power” and the UFC enjoys having the power, all the power. More (or any for that matter) transparency would be a great thing in this case. Also, in the report the angle of profit sharing/revenue sharing was addressed. It was stated that the UFC shares somewhere between 10% and 15% of revenue with the fighters on their roster. Compare that to the other major sports in America such as the NBA, which recently ended their labor dispute, one which started as the players were already receiving nearly 50% of revenue. Similar numbers are found in other major sports. Mr. Fertitta responded to these numbers by saying that the UFC is actually “in that same neighborhood”of revenue sharing. Panelist Maysey had a funny response to this statement in saying "The UFC is in the neighborhood of the major professional sports in terms of payout percentages compared to revenue generated in the same way as I am in the 'neighborhood' of challenging for Anderson Silva's middleweight title.” So, with no other pertinent information being made public this will continue to be an ongoing issue and a bone of contention to everyone collecting a paycheck from the UFC and all other interested parties including agents, managers and the like. Of course the “M” word came up on more than one occasion during the segment. Is the UFC becoming a monopoly? Well, let’s take a look at the definition of this very word. “Monopoly- exclusive control of a commodity or service in a particular market, or a control that makes possible the manipulation of prices.” By definition many things could be considered a monopoly. I will let you be the judge as to whether the UFC monopolizes the sport of MMA.
Here is where my problem with the report begins. How can ESPN do a special segment on the UFC’s pay scale and revenue sharing without ever having viewed the company’s financials? How can they run the piece without a single comment from an active fighter on the UFC roster? They spoke to Ken Shamrock, a UFC Hall of Famer and legend in the sport but he has very obvious and very public run ins with the company. I respect the fact that they attempted to get to the bottom of a legit issue but I would expect more fact, more quotes, and more information in general to back up or at least add to any story shown on such a prominent network.
I am as big of a fan of the UFC as anybody on the face of this earth. I admire and respect all that the Fertittas and Dana White have accomplished in basically creating a sport and growing to the point that it has become a legitimate worldwide cultural phenomenon. As the stage gets bigger it must be understood that more and more scrutiny will come. That being said I am as big of a fan of the athletes that put, literally and figuratively, their lives on the line every time they step in to the Octagon. The UFC gives and gives back so much outside the scope of just the fighters’ salaries. They help fighter’s families when in need, they will give cars and other non monetary objects to fighters, they help many fans that come to them in need. They treat everyone in the company like family. They also treat the business like a business. If you perform you will be paid accordingly, like any other successful business. ESPN attempts to address this legitimate issue but the finished product they presented was more pathetic than Anthony Johnson’s weight cut.
To see the ESPN segment click the link below…
http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/page/UFCpay/ufc-fighters-say-low-pay-most-painful-hit-all
Posted on 2012-01-11 at 12:47:10 by Tony Reid
As you all know, some weeks are more awesome than others and then you have the weeks that turn out to be way more awesomely stupid. This week I tried to keep it equal parts awesome and stupid.
Awesome
Anthony Johnson is Done with the Welterweight Division-
You might be wondering how this headline could fall into the “awesome” category but considering Anthony Johnson’s cut to 170 was awesomely stupid, I guess the fact that he has chosen to stay in a more natural weight class would make this awesome news, at least for his body and for the rest of the guys in the welterweight division. You have to understand how big Rumble is…I have met him, been around him and I can tell you he is a huge, gigantic, enormous, gargantuan, monstrous 170 pounder. He would regularly cut over 30 pounds and sometimes in excess of 50 pounds, yes 50 fucking pounds to get to 170. There were a couple weigh in mishaps where he didn’t get to the 171 cutoff, so he lost his purse (not his actual purse, he still has that, but 20% of his fight money) even going as far as being carried off the stage after the weigh ins at UFC 104. He is set to take on Vitor Belfort this weekend in Brazil at UFC 142 and I for one, expect major fireworks. Here’s hoping the weight cut goes much better for Rumble now that he can keep an extra 15 pounds on his huge frame.
Diamond Dallas Page Introduces DDPYoga-
When you think of yoga who is the first person that comes to mind? Pro wrestling legend Diamond Dallas Page, of course! If you grew up in my generation you know exactly who DDP is…An iconic figure in the world of pro wrestling. Diamond Cutters, His girl Kimberly, you know…BANG! Being a late bloomer, starting his wrestling career at 35, DDP made to most of his time in the squared circle. But like many former pro wrestlers have before him, DDP’s body began to fail him in his 40’s (42 to be specific). He had just signed a long term, multi million dollar deal and promptly ruptured his L4 and L5. After a number of doctors told him he was done and after trying everything to get better he reluctantly tried yoga. To say it worked is an understatement. With his mobility and flexibility improving DDP was looking to add the strength back to his frame. He added explosive movements and strength building exercises to traditional yoga and DDPYoga was born. He has helped many people from regular folks like you and I to high level athletes like Chris Jericho. He wrestled his last match at 52 years old and now at 55 he feels better than ever. Check it out and let me know if it’s awesome or awesomely stupid! www.DDPYOGA.com
Awesomely Stupid
Strikeforce Champ Cris “Cyborg” Santos Tests Positive for Anabolic Steroids-
This week the California State Athletic Commission suspended and fined ($2,500) Strikeforce women's featherweight champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos due to a failed drug test after her last fight. The CSAC officials later announced that she tested positive for Stanozolol Metabolites (an anabolic steroid) following her Dec. 17th title defense at "Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal." The only thing that surprised me is that it took this long for her to test positive. All you need to do is take one look at her to understand one thing…That ain’t natural! The substance she tested positive for, Stano, is used for cutting weight, getting ripped and at the same time keeping, or gaining strength. It appears that many fighters are testing positive in California, the state that has the highest standards (Damn those Bruins at UCLA) where they are doing the closest thing to Olympic level testing. But unlike every other pro athlete in history that has tested positive for any performance enhancing drugs she stated that, really, it kinda was her fault. I completely agree with her statement that it is each and every athlete’s individual responsibility to know exactly what they are putting into their bodies at all times. I at least give credit to Cyborg for, somewhat, taking responsibility for her actions. Now if only all the guys out there that find themselves in a similar situation could follow her lead and be a man and admit when they are in the wrong.
UFC Vet Hermes Franca Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison for Sexual Abuse of Underage Student-
The UFC Vet was nailed with a three-plus year sentence this week for abusing an underage female student at a BJJ school where he once taught. After initially pleading not guilty to seven counts of sex abuse in the first degree and two counts of unlawful sexual penetration in the second degree in May, Franca pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful penetration and one count of first-degree sexual abuse. Basically in this case “unlawful penetration” meant that he, Hermes Franca Barros, 37, did some very unlawful things to a young girl, reported to be no older than 14. This poor young girl went to Hermes and trusted him, as did her parents, to teach her self defense and the wonderful art of Jiu Jitsu, instead he took advantage of her in ways no adult should ever take advantage of a child. He was also sentenced to four-and-a-half years of post-prison supervision, and he must register as a sex offender. It’s safe to say he will never again be allowed within miles and miles of any school, BJJ schools included. The onetime UFC lightweight title challenger faced a mandatory minimum of 75 months for the initial charges against him. His career highlight came at UFC 73, when he fought Sean Sherk for the lightweight title but he lost a unanimous decision and later was suspended and fined when his post-fight drug test came back positive for steroids. There have been a range of opinions I have seen as to how he will be treated in the prison system by his new neighbors. Anyone who knows anything about said prison system knows that there is a code of ethics in the joint and pedophiles are the lowest of the low. His Jiu Jitsu will be no good there, try pulling guard or slapping on that triangle as two dudes shank you and another two or three are stomping your face in at the same time in the yard. Regardless of his stature in the fighting community (and it wasn’t all that high to begin with) he will most likely be targeted and possibly attacked as many offenders of this type of crimes often are in prison. A few ambitious inmates might even want a piece of him because he is a fighter. Either way Herpes will not be enjoying his time in a country club prison. He is most definitely headed to a pound-me-in-the-ass prison. I can’t think of anyone who deserves to be there more than he does right now. OK, considering I am from Central Pennsylvania, I can think of one other dude that deserves to be there more right now.
Tapout Magazine, Issue 43
Digital Edition
MMA Worldwide, Issue 27
Digital Edition
