DFW on recent fighter complaints: Same old $#!@

Underground
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BMF Jorge Masvidal was widely believed to the next challenger for UFC lightweight champion Kamaru Usman, but negotiations fell apart over money, and now Gilbert Burns gets the shot at UFC 251 on July 11.

“It’s not a surprise,” said UFC president Dana White at Friday's pre-event media scrum. “I mean, this is what we do. We’ve been doing this for 20 years. People who want to fight get fights, and people who don’t, don’t.

“And [Burns is] the No. 1 ranked guy in the world. No. 1 vs. the champion. And this kid wants to stay busy. These kids who come out and go on runs like Burns is on and want to keep fighting and stay active, they’re healthy, it’s the smartest thing they can do. And it doesn’t surprise me that Masvidal … Masvidal is very much like the Diaz brothers. He beats to the sound of his own drum. When he wants to do something, he does it. It’s not very surprising at all.”

Several other top fighters including the #1 P4P fighter in the league Jon Jones have recently complained bitterly about the revenue split in the UFC, which is around 20%, well short of the approximately 50% that goes to athletes in the NBA, NFL, MLB, and boxing. White is not impressed.

“Listen, I’m putting on fights every weekend for the next 10 years. If you want to fight, call us. We’ll offer you fights, and if you don’t want to take them, you don’t have to. It’s always been that way.

“Everybody’s acting like this is some new f***ing drama that just popped up, and this has never happened before in the history of the sport. This happens all the time, non-stop.”

“There’s a lot of new people covering us. There’s a lot of new people that don’t know a lot about the sport. That’s new. This isn’t new. This is the same old s***. And all these fighers that are [unhappy], they share in the revenue. They do share in the revenue. They have the upside on the pay-per-view. And guys that sell pay-per-view make a lot of money.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7HdXd9WpmA

h/t Danny Segura • MMA Junkie

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Goddamn this guy is so cold hearted. Fighters are destroying their brains and bodies and he's lowballing them. I wish science would invent a way for me to give him empathy as a birthday present.

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Love Dana. Doesn't take any shit! 

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who are the new people that dana thinks are covering this dying sport? 

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Yep same old shit,the ufc have been underpaying its stars for years.

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Dana is back to being hilarious 

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Form a union or fuck off

The problem is the guys making top dollar dont want to share. So these fighters should go talk to them

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Kimbos Lice -

Love Dana. Doesn't take any shit! 

This. it is the same old shit. 

Bitch mma 'fans' are just going to bitch until the day he quits so fuck them.

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The one guy making 150 grand on the card surely could take a pay cut and give a thousand to underpaid ppl on the card but who does that.greed is as American as Apple pie.

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People saying the guys making the most won’t share is laughable. They worked to get to that point. Do you share your paycheck with the new guy that gets hired at your job making much less than you?

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Just curious, if you look at a fight like Ngannou vs Lewis, can Dana do some calculations and say, "we feel like you only exerted yourselves for 10% of that fight, so we're going to pay you what you were worth and dock your checks by 90%"?

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We've been doing this for years. 

In other words theyve been paying fighters peanuts for decades.

Dana is such a bitch boy.

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BringBackGoldy -

Yep same old shit,the ufc have been underpaying its stars for years.

I think the stars do just fine. The mid tier guys are the ones that get screwed and end up with nothing in the end. The bottom tier are only around for a couple fights.

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As an employer, I prefer to pay people a little more even if I don't have to - both for the benefits to me, and just because I am a good guy.

As an employer, I don't understand he debate - if he job doesn't pay enough, don't sign the contract.

If NOBODY was willing to fight for less that $50K, there would be no problem and the UFC would have to pay more to get content.

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I wish someone would, or maybe someone has, done a historical totally fight card pay to see how fight pay has evolved alongside the value growth of the UFC. Would have to take into account earlier years of fewer events, ppv and non ppv. But it would be interesting. My hypothesis is fighter pay has not grown near as much as the UFC's value. And value being based on what was known through the acquisition. 

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If all UFC fighters just refused to fight until demands are met, Dana would have no choice but to increase fighter pay.

We need a revolution. It's up to the fighters now.

Zuffa, a Vegas company with deep mob ties, ain't gonna increase fighter pay unless they are forced to.

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papa pump -

Form a union or fuck off

The problem is the guys making top dollar dont want to share. So these fighters should go talk to them

Exactly right. This is an issue that the fighters must handle themselves. They won’t, so I’m tired of hearing them whine about it. No one is making them fight. 

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Why do fighters sign contracts to fight if they’re getting independent contractor 1099’s? Shouldn’t they be able to go wherever whenever if techinically they’re not working for the company? I know they gotta eat and the ufc is the top of the chain but it just seems these guys are fighting a losing battle 

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Go ahead and form your union ...2 words ....

Jimmy hoffa.  ..

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Frodo Zack -

The one guy making 150 grand on the card surely could take a pay cut and give a thousand to underpaid ppl on the card but who does that.greed is as American as Apple pie.

Who the fuck in America eats apple pie ?