I'd think, even if the mma fighter can get to 30-0, taking out all top 10 guys after his 20th fight (first 20 just beginning or mid-level fights) , being a multiple weight champion (moving UP, not down, which is more acceptable in MMA), he'll get Mayweather money. The promotion would no longer be relevant and that undefeated fighter could fight on his own card and make money.
No fighter is close. Fedor was the closest, imo. Btw, he was offered decent money and had more leverage than any fighter had at the time.
Roy Jones moved up in weight as his challenge, not down. Pac as well. Mayweather as well. Holyfield as well. They started proper, low, and worked up. For Pac to go back down to 115 again would be embarrassing for him, even if he could be champion.
Mma isn't like that. Not saying its better or worse, but there is noone in mma that comes close in drawing power (and winning for years) as boxers. Brock had freak show drawing power but couldn't win to match his hype. Mayweather wins.
There is a reason he makes 50+ million and the 10-3 guys that are top 5 in their division make much less, and always will.
It is possible for a fighter to get bigger than a promotion, he'll just have to be that great. MMA has a long way to go. Right now, the guys that have 400 fighters in their stable make the money, because of quantity.
In your opinion, what will it take? Separate from the UFC? Can it happen while a fighter fights for a promotion that puts you up against the hardest fights they can make (a good thing). There is no inflated records, guys don't always move up, and the promotion gets more promotion than the fighters themselves. The inflated records creates more buzz than Jon bitch slapping Daniel at a press conference. Mayweather doesn't have to throw his shoe at anyone.
I do get that in MMA there is no room for error. One mistake and it's over. I think the less knowledgeable fan looking for the super fighter, may never really get that because of the level of perfection needed to have a perfect record.
A boxer can make a mistake, get lit up, and even knocked down. Instead of being attacked and finished, he is given 9 seconds to get his wits back. IF the boxer is more skilled, and makes less mistakes, he can still easily win the fight. In MMA, you can have the most talented lose the fight, simply by making one mistake or getting hit with one spinning backfist.
I understand why there are not fighters 46-0, but I do think that if a fighter could go flawless for 30+ fights, the money he'd make would skyrocket. I also do not believe he'd need a promotional company any longer. Although he'd probably need to be in a promotion to get top 10 fights (we've seen this before with Fedor).
My opinion.
I don't think it's just a winning record that make money. It's persona and fan interest too. But you are very right.
iemitremmusi - I don't think it's just a winning record that make money. It's persona and fan interest too. But you are very right.This.
Also big money purses bring eyes to the fights which in turn bring more money.
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No he won't. There is simply just not that kind of money in mma. I don't care if the guy is 200-0 in mma. He isn't gonna have 40 mil purses, or walk away from fights with 100 mil.
HeHitsMeBecauseHeLovesMe - No he won't. There is simply just not that kind of money in mma. I don't care if the guy is 200-0 in mma. He isn't gonna have 40 mil purses, or walk away from fights with 100 mil.Also correct
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Pacman was making 30-40 before his losses was he not?
Nobody gave a shit about Floyd until he became "Money Mayweather". He was just as good a fighter, but his PPV sales were poor until he got the DLH rub and started playing the heel. His record has very little to do with it.
I do not follow boxing but how often does a high profile boxer get injured prior to a big fight and pull out? This happend more and more frequently with MMA and is part of the reason why pay is as "low". When a headliner pulls out of a fight and there is no substitute, the card will take a major hit in interest and will not generate as much money as it should. I have only watched a hand full of Mayweathers fights but every single one I have seen is boring and goes the distance. A Mayweather fight that goes the distance will last much longer than a UFC title fight that goes the distance. You have to take advertisement time and sponsors into consideration when comparing the 2 sports. Punches are the only similarity between the Boxing/Mayweather and UFC. They are 2 completely diff businesses. I'm sure fighters like Anderson, GSP, and maybe even Honda have made an extremely high amount on individual fights but that info isn't public.
mayweather also does his own promotions. how many ufc fighters actively promote themselves like he does?
closest we've seen to self promotion is chael or mcgregor
Honestly if Brock had kept fighting and winning against everyone he would probably be the highest paid MMA fighter and get in that stratosphere -
40-50 mill? probably not then again who knows.
He was a massive draw with only a few fights.
Imagine if he had continued to dominate was healthy and had won against Reem, Cain, Big Foot, JDS, Werdum in the course of 2 years?
Especially if maybe if he did a bunch of WWE stuff in between to increase his popularity (hell remember Floyd himself was featured WWE a few times if I recall correctly)
HeHitsMeBecauseHeLovesMe - No he won't. There is simply just not that kind of money in mma. I don't care if the guy is 200-0 in mma. He isn't gonna have 40 mil purses, or walk away from fights with 100 mil.Rhonda Rousey at 30-0 breaks the 5 million a fight mark, probably much higher. She only has 10 fights now and Dana has already called her Mike Tyson and Mayweather. She's also being called the new face of the organization. Why? Because noone is close. Espy winner as well. In her defense she probably makes more than any female boxer including Ali's daughter while active (unsure). Ladies boxing was never like Men's, so she is probably the only MMA fighter that has surpassed boxing (women's), or absolutely will in comparison other women. If Gina could have been as dominant, it would have been her.
Well see what happens with Jones. Technically, still undefeated but his close fight stopped his momentum. The superman momentum was put in question with Gus. If he beats Cormier and they Gus, sky's the limit.
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shaqitup - Pacman was making 30-40 before his losses was he not?
Pacman made around 3 million for his fight with David Diaz. Those were his paydays before he did was doesn't happen in MMA. Move up in weight as a champion and win titles in higher weight classes (not lower). His very next fight was Oscar De La Hoya, who helped put Pac over the top.
Pac only lost (by decision - Erik Morales) once in 13 years, and with that loss, he ended up TKOing the same guy (Erik Morales) to I guess void his decision loss.
So to answer your question, yes, after beating De La Hoya, going up in weight class and knocking out supposedly bigger guys like HE was the big man, he was making 10+ million dollar paydays, but a 10 year streak does that.
That didn't even happen with Anderson Silva (although Anderson did move up, which is why he was such an earner).
Billyz - Honestly if Brock had kept fighting and winning against everyone he would probably be the highest paid MMA fighter and get in that stratosphere -
40-50 mill? probably not then again who knows.
He was a massive draw with only a few fights.
Imagine if he had continued to dominate was healthy and had won against Reem, Cain, Big Foot, JDS, Werdum in the course of 2 years?
Especially if maybe if he did a bunch of WWE stuff in between to increase his popularity (hell remember Floyd himself was featured WWE a few times if I recall correctly)
I can agree with this. Even though he had a loss early, it wouldn't have mattered. Some fighters can lose early and really make a huge splash later (Pac, Hopkins). However, Brock had to win fights, which he stopped doing. If Bob Sapp wouldn't have lost for years, he would have been a cash cow too.
Bernard Hopkins lost his very first fight, I believe fresh out of prison. He then won 22 fights in a row and lost to Roy Jones Jr in 1993. He then went unbeaten for the next 12 years. Although a major figure in boxing, he never made Mayweather money. He made money, GSP money. He came out as the executioner, was a "bad" character in the public's eye, and played his role as heel. The problem? Roy Jones beat him when they were both young and in their boxing primes (not really, Hopkins was still improving), and he had 2 losses on his record. Although great fighter and a draw, he never got that big money, I'd say, because he didn't have the 46-0 attached to his name.
Khabib has a shot?
Mma fighters lose because they right the best and don't pick their fights. When I fighter creates their own promotion and pays themselves and picks fights there will be big pay days
There is no concept of a fighter having their own Promotion in MMA because there is no need/room for it. UFC are promotors; Bellator, WSOF and so on. There are no independent promoters or cross promotion, for that matter. For this reason, I don't think we will see PBF type pay days.
The majority of people still don't understand that win/loss records are just a small part of the equation for bigger paydays. Promoting a fight and drawing attention is a much bigger factor. Bring attention and big crowds and you will bring in more money. Brock Lesnar was a huge draw after a handful of fights. Don't know why this concept is so hard to grasp. Even the Kardashians understand this.
The difference is someone in boxing can go 30-0 and you can say they fought nothing but bums. You win 3 fights in a row in the UFC you are forced to fight the best