Nice last 2 post Fan.
Ministry of Truth -IAmNotImpressedbyYourStocktonSlap - He isn't informing, he left out so many details about how much he actually made. Sponsorship money? Other bonuses that Dana might of given him for a damn good fight?
And he knows nothing of the UFCs actual expenses, so unless he has direct access to UFC expenses, he shouldn't be commenting on them.
I like Fitch and wish him the best in his MMA career, but he needs to just drop this and focus on kicking ass in other MMA organizations.
Sponsorship money has little to do with the UFC, and if anything, they do more to hinder a fighter's ability to get sponsorships.
Using that logic, he should not bring up fees and other expenses. You can't include all of the costs of being a fighter and not use all of the revenue.
I think the pay should be higher, but each side simplifies things to make them sympathetic.
The UFC has additional revenue and expenses, so do fighters.
For Fitch, Anyone think Fitch is getting less than 25k, in sponsors, per fight? For some fights (headlining bouts), it is certainly more.
And as some have said, much of his expenses are tax deductible. Not saying that makes life easy, but it is factual. Some fighters have talked about deductions.
Fitch seems like a very nice guy. I feel bad for him as very few fighters of his standing generate as little fan interest as he does. Add that the fact he once is starts making 50+50 and more is when his winning ways stop. He also lost a good year due to injury. It really sucks and I feel bad for him.
This argument will always exist. Folks were complaining when new fighters made 3+3, now most new fighters start at 8+8 and folks complain.
None of us know the expenses and revenues involved. We can pick a side and make an argument, but we don't really know all of the details.
Ideally, fighter pay reaches 50%. Despite what some say, I think it runs between 30-40% right now.
How much do Dana et al. make? Why is shit a secret? Why is there even such a thing as back door bonuses? Why do they lie about their contracts?
Fitch: UFC felt like a hostile environment. It seemed like they were trying to get rid of me and stuff.
Dana: That doesn't make sense, if we were trying to get rid of him, why would we have paid him 300k in discretionary bonuses above his contract.
Fitch: Well, the UFC doesn't pay fighters enough based on the profits they make.
...?
While it's an interesting and debatable point, I don't really see how its a 'response' to what Dana said so much as its changing the topic.
Jumbo Reverse Shrimp - How much do Dana et al. make? Why is shit a secret? Why is there even such a thing as back door bonuses? Why do they lie about their contracts?
Why is Bellator's pay a secret? Once Tito retired, why didn't he offer us a look at his finances?
MMA pay is only made public in some areas and even then, it is only to fight and to win pay. Signing bonuses, ppv cuts and other things are not required.
The UFC is the ones that make public the SotN, FotN and TKO/KOotN bonuses, not the commissions. If they did not, we would have no idea about that aspect of the pay.
And most fighters have little interest in making public their income. Some have offered some details, but most prefer not to. Same way that most of us don't talk about our pay.
For the American fighters, there is nothing stopping fighters from opening a Solo-401(k) (other than not having money to put into it) as they are independent contractors. I assume most of the fighters from other countries have similar options.
Doing so gives each fighter the option of contributing the 402(g) limit of $17.5k which everyone who has any type of 401(k) has the option of doing. In addition to that, a Solo 401(k) gives each fighter access to the 415 limit of the lesser of $51k or 25% of gross income. They don't get the employer match of 6% or whatever, but they have access to save up to an additional $33.5k each year.
That beats a 6% match for most people. Of course, they would be left with the bill to pay for the admin fees, etc.
I think the fighters are better off without a company provided retirement plan assuming the company is providing retirement education so they know their options.
JustTheTip -Rickmassmma -JustTheTip -Saltyballs - I like Fitch, but the standard question to anyone who complains about how much they got paid is, "if you thought this was too little money, then why did you sign the contract?"
I mean he obviously found it to be somewhat agreeable since he signed it and continued to re-sign with the UFC. There are a lot of guys who wish they could be making $176,000 a year.
Best of luck to him in WSoF.
With sponsors, he was probably paid close to $200,000 per year, but it's not near what he made. As he pointed out, 20%, or $40,000 went to his gym, so that leaves $160,000. That is a high tax bracket in California where they rape you in taxes. He likely paid out close to 50% but of course had write offs so he probably made $100,000 a year. That is great money for your average Joe but not for a one of the best athletes in the world at his weight class and fighting in the UFC.
Everyone pays taxes, and lots of people live in California. Saying he has to pay taxes is silly. Every job offer is based on the amount before taxes, and to act like taxes are something rare that only contractors have to pay is a strange argument.
The #2 WW in the world for many years made an average of $100K/year (or less) from the largest organization in MMA after 8 years of service. The #2 athletes in other major sports make $20+ million.
I'm not talking about what he does or doesn't deserve..simply pointing out that talking about the net is a weird way to do it. Every other athlete in every other sport that is being talked about also pays taxes, so when people keep saying that so and so makes $X per year, that is the gross. You keep talking about the net. My point is simply that I don't understand why we'd compare his net to the gross of other people.
Also, the fact that he chose to live in CA has nothing to do with it. The UFC doesn't owe him more money because he chose to live in a state with a higher tax %.
I agree with some of the things you say, but the fact that he has to pay taxes, and that those taxes are higher because of where he lives has nothing to do with the argument.
FROM JustTheTip: ""1) Ronaldo does not make $90M a year. Quit lying
2) No one said Fitch should make $90M a year.
3) No one said Fitch should make $10M a year.
4) An athlete headlining PPV's and fighting on some of the biggest cards the UFC has put together should net more than $100K in a year
Pay attention. ""
///
1) Infamy!! YOU learn to fucking read YOU talked about years not me. Never even wrote the word. I pointed out Fitch doesnt earn for the company the big contracts other number 2 earn for theirs. Tell me if you are saying 2012 Fitch fights are worth a seven figure number.
2) Thats true and I didnt said that EITHER.
3) Thats true and I didnt said that EITHER.
4) He got paid what said in the contract he signed. Other people in those card got paid millions.
The only fight I can think of right now where he should have made more money was the GSP fight. If he headlined other PPVs then yes he should have made more money for those.
Negotiate for it Fitch like the other people headlining PPV!!
Wait he can make deduction but UFC can't?
The UFC rented the venue for those events. Had to pay a fee to the vender to provide food drink ect. Paid for all the promotions for the fights. Flew your ass to every fight. Paid your flights to press conferences. Not to mention your week of hotel stay for your fights. Or hotel stays for press conferences.
What did Jon make off sponsors? Jon made a lot of money because of the UFC too.
All this pay talk is fucking stupid. Your a sub contractor. You don't like the contract presented to you, don't fucking sign it. 
Wonder how much he made in sponsorship for all those UFC fights 
Fan of fanboys - And let's quit talking about his net of roughly $100K/year. All that matters is his gross. He determines his cost of living.
And still haven't got an actual dollar amount of what Jon Fitch is worth and a reason why.
And let's not forget that average we are using includes his base from 7 1:2 years ago. Kinda messes up the numbers. If we really wanted to be honest in our breakdown we need each individual year. Because if he made $30K the first year and $322K the best year, same average, then the outrage needs to subside.
Heck my income has gone up 2 1/2 from when I got my first full time job. If I looked at my average last 7.5 years compared to the last year it'd be two diff numbers.
I check a bit out of curiosity:
2012:
-UFC 156 in Nevada: 66,000 to lose.
-UFC 153 in Brazil: no pay reported for a win. We know he got an official Fight of the Night bonus worth 70 000.
Since I had no pay for 153 I looked for his 2011 UFC 141 Hendricks fight. He got paid 60 000 to get bombed by mini-hendo.
And no fighter makes millions a fight. GSP made 200k to show and 270k to win last fight. The bonus of PPV points and shit are earned by the fighter. Fighters get bonuses on case by case.
Jon is going off number listed by athletic commissions. Someone add up GSPs pay. But only add the pay that's turned in to the commission.
"Everything that anyone that ever disagreed with me has said is complete and total bulls---," said White.
in
Jon FItch owes Zuffa money.
you think Zuffa sold 1.4 million dollars in tickets or ppv buys because Jon Fitch was on a card? heck no.
It's not Fitch's job to market himself, it helps, but that's not his job.
The job of promoting a fight or fighters, goes to the.......PROMOTION.
Nobody is closer to GSP's wins at welterweight than Jon Fitch.
Sorry but it comes down to this-
Jon Fitch>Chael Sonnen as a fighter
Chael Sonnen>Jon Fitch as a self promoter
problem, it's not the fighters job to promote themselves, it's their job to train and perform, everything else is secondary.
UFC chooses who they market. They could market proven fighters and explain how proven Fitch is, or they could market people like Chael where instead of showing fight footage, they show trash talk footage.
Fitch is just as, if not more than proven in terms of accomplishments in his division in the UFC.
Sorry but him not getting a rematch against GSP, but Chael and Vitor get to fight for the lhw title-that's an imbalance, and Fitch is one of those guys on the short end of the stick.
There's a reason why guys like Vitor and Chael aren't complaining about money, and a reason guys like Fitch do. Some earn it with their fighting, others earn it with their marketability. The problem is UFC can market anyone, they just go the easy route.
176K a year is a decent living. Even in CA. Apparently he needs budgeting lessons.
D241 -It is the fighters job to promote themselves. They are subcontractors. I have to promote myself to get jobs.
It's not Fitch's job to market himself, it helps, but that's not his job.
The job of promoting a fight or fighters, goes to the.......PROMOTION.
Nobody is closer to GSP's wins at welterweight than Jon Fitch.
Sorry but it comes down to this-
Jon Fitch>Chael Sonnen as a fighter
Chael Sonnen>Jon Fitch as a self promoter
problem, it's not the fighters job to promote themselves, it's their job to train and perform, everything else is secondary.
UFC chooses who they market. They could market proven fighters and explain how proven Fitch is, or they could market people like Chael where instead of showing fight footage, they show trash talk footage.
Fitch is just as, if not more than proven in terms of accomplishments in his division in the UFC.
Sorry but him not getting a rematch against GSP, but Chael and Vitor get to fight for the lhw title-that's an imbalance, and Fitch is one of those guys on the short end of the stick.
There's a reason why guys like Vitor and Chael aren't complaining about money, and a reason guys like Fitch do. Some earn it with their fighting, others earn it with their marketability. The problem is UFC can market anyone, they just go the easy route.
The UFC's job is to promote events not fighters.
So Fitch is saying it's not about the money even tho I specifically remember him saying in pre-fight videos that he really needed the money?