Large Fun Bags - Thanks for allowing me to enjoy all your hard work! You're a fucking badassLol at didnt read. Nate you were fighting when they werent as lucrative as they are now. ..you kinda got screwed. Glad you spoke up.
P. S
Didn't read :)
Great post Nate...agree with proposed changes. Im sure a lot of fighters would like to express their feelings about these issues too...but fear stifles their voice....
Kudos to you for not being afraid to express your opinions.
That was way too much to read, but I think I got the gist. Doesn't really matter though, I got mad love for Nate. He should definitely have a weekly segment on UFC Tonight. Not only is he a badass, he's a smart guy. 
Nate are you still in Honolulu? If so, want to come out with me and my friends and watch the fights?
:)
In before Cindy O
We all know Dana won't show up here, "it's not his fucking problem"
Great post Nate
brahmabull81 - Hopefully UFC gets around to reading this to get the full perspective on what you were saying.Lol Dana did respond. Was it foul?
And just be thankful that you had Lorenzo respond instead of Dana, because lord knows what kind of foul shit he would have said in defense of his brand.
Big fan Nate. Keep being open and real, and of course, a badass.
UFC151 - The sad part in all this, is that fighters will not appreciate, or understand what Nate is saying right now. They will wait and see for themselves in a few years the reality of what fighting for a living does to a person. You assume that you put health at risk because the reward is so damn good. But when guys like Leben, who was a big star at one point, end up broke after fighting. What does that say about the little guy barely squeaking by financially. It's not a matter of these guys blowing up all their millions like they do in other sports, it's a matter of not ever having enough to live off after fighting.As much as everybody loves Leben, he blew his money on what? He doesn't have any money becuase he didn't even try to manage it. Can't even blame taxes for taking a huge chunk. It sucks but not everyone is going to make a living fighting. Just like not everyone is going to make it as a singer, artist, programmer etc. If everyone could everyone would.
It's great Nate is speaking up but we also have to remember context of 2005. The UFC needs to make some changes but it's not an outrage like some of you act like. Yes we care about the fighters but that doesn't mean throw money at them.
Awesome stuff, we need more fighters/ex-fighters with the balls to speak up about it like you are doing.
VU
Some fighters absolutely love fighting and competing and while i do feel compared to these morons in ball sports makin multi millions fighters are indeed under paid but no one is forcing these people to be fighters it is 100% a personal choice zuffa co has nothing to do with . I cant for the life of me understand why people dont understand ufc is not a get rich quick scheme its pay by performance
BTW why the hell is Nate Quarry a mid namer??
Get on that mods!
Great post.
Again, thanks for the support.
If I've said anything I regret, it's my blanket statement, "The UFC doesn't care about it's fighters." Dana and the Fertita's have shown over and over that they do care in many ways. I'm just wanting better conditions for the fighters.
When I say the "UFC" doesn't care, I feel like I'm speaking about a corporate entity. I was asking for something once and was told, "That's against UFC policy." And I thought, well, who set that policy? It seems that we get going in one direction to become profitable and then it just snowballs.
I think quite often a corporation becomes the scapegoat for all the things that are wrong with a situation and because it's now "corporate policy" no one steps in to change things.
Profit sharing, no cut contracts, things that we all want when we see the company we work for take off.
Fighters are no different. If you break our noses, do we not bleed?
Signed! Get it done Dana!
Ttt
Get your shit together Dana
I agree with Nate's comments. I'd like to add one more thing, which may or may not work.
Allow fighters who win by finishing the fight to get interviewed and let them have 15-20 seconds where they can thank sponsors by name. Fights that go to decision (except main event/title fights), interview the winner if there is time, but do not allow him his 15-20 seconds of sponsor plugging.
I think this may well give fighters a great incentive to try and finish the fight, if they are getting paid correctly by sponsors. I'd be all over saying I drink Coors Light for $50k.
Nate 'Rock' Quarry - Let me state that I had the numbers wrong for my fight against Franklin. I swear I thought the gate was 3.5 million. It's been pointed out to me that the gate was about 2 million. The PPV buys about 200k. But we really don't know for sure because that information is not disclosed.Your experience and honesty are appreciated, Nate. Thanks for everything man.
How much did I make? $10,000. But that number is NOT important. Hindsight being 20/20 and all that, I should have negotiated a better deal. I should have negotiated like Randy did so I would have the rights to use my fight photos and videos.
But I didn't. Water under the bridge.
None of that is important. My last fight I was paid around 40k. Although I took a horrendous beating that took months to heal from and now have 13 screws and titanium in my face, I think I was paid very well for that fight.
Then why did I speak up in the first place? To change the past? To speak about low pay from 8 years ago? No, no I didn't.
I'm trying to address issues that are occurring right now with fighters. The sponsorships being cut, the sponsorship tax, things like that. Things that will benefit the fighters without hurting the UFC.
So let's look at some individual issues and look at potential solutions so I don't come off as a total whiny little baby:
Fight Week: Fighters are given two flights, one hotel room and $50 per diem
I suggest: Give the fighter 3 flights and $100 per diem. The days of one cornerman are over. Fighters are taking money out of their purses to pay for the numerous coaches they have to fly in to deliver the best fight possible.
Hotel Gyms: Fighters are allowed to use the gym for free, their corner has to pay to use the hotel gym where the fighter is actually fighting.
I suggest: The fighter and up to 3 cornermen get to use the hotel gym for free. This would cost next to nothing and is one little thing that shows the fighter that they aren't being nickeled and dimed.
Sponsorships: This is completely random. The last time I was dealing with the UFC, clothing and supplement sponsors had to pay $100k for the privilege of having a fighter put their logo on the fighter's shorts. Random companies don't have to pay a fee.
I suggest: Remove the sponsorship tax. This is going to bring back a myriad of sponsors that want to support the fighters and can't afford to pay 100k to the UFC.
UFC uniform: This is speculative but it seems that the UFC is moving towards a uniform for fighters to wear out to fight in. This is going to kill the remaining sponsors. No longer will they have a shirt sponsor if everyone is wearing the same shirt. No more shorts sponsors if everyone is wearing the same pair of shorts.
I suggest: Kill this idea. If the UFC is unhappy with certain fighters wearing inappropriate shorts or shirts, punish THEM. Not every fighter in the UFC.
UFC fight contract: I may be wrong but I believe the minimum wage in the UFC is $6,000. It goes up from there. I've had agents tell me they are pushing for a 5 fight contract. Why? If you're fighter goes on a win streak he can't demand more money. If he loses, he gets cut.
I suggest: A three fight NO cut contract. This lets the fighter know that for one year they are UFC fighters. They can focus on fighting and that's it. The UFC is going to be more selective knowing that the guy they sign will be around for a year. This gives the fighter time to get over the Octagon jitters. And build a fan base because the fans know this guy will be around for at least a year. Right now guys come and go. So what difference does it make if you have one guy signed for three fights instead of three guys that are one and done?
Pay scale: Again, I could be wrong, but I believe the UFC minimum is 6k.
I suggest: Starting salary $10,000 to show, $5,000 win bonus. If you win, your next fight is $10/7.5. The third fight on your contract would be $10/10. For one year the fighter knows that they will be making a minimum of 30k.
"Don't talk about money!" That's the golden rule when it comes to athletes. The average person will think you're an ungrateful crybaby and the owners will think you're ungrateful for all they've done for you.
"You got paid to follow your dreams!" Sure did. And much like a painter who loves to paint and someone comes along and offers to sell their paintings and makes a mint off of them, the painter deserves his fair share.
"You're saying this over social media? You should be a man and say these things privately and face to face!" I did. Over many years. And I was labeled an asshole and not a company man. And if you're not a company man that means no appearances and no exposure from corporate. And social media is today's version of picketing outside the offices. I can reach millions of people that are in my key demographic of people I want to reach instead of wearing a sandwich board outside an office. I did complain about having to pay to use the gym at the Palms to help my fighter cut weight. I was told rather soundly that I was the only one complaining and to be quiet. I did complain about sponsors being charge a tax or not being able to thank sponsors after fights and got THE call, telling me to be quiet. I even went to the MMA "journalists" and was told the repercussions of doing a story on such things would result in passes being pulled.
Do I represent every fighter? Hell no.
Do I think the UFC deserves to make the lion's share of the money? Hell yes. They are the ones that invested millions of dollars and years worth of time. And they are continuing to grow, worldwide.
And the UFC wants to present itself as a professional organization with uniforms and codes of conduct. And yet with all that, there is no one representing the fighters and what they want and need.
If you know me you would know I'm for increasing the minimum wage to about $10 an hour. But not $15 an hour. The minimum wage in the NBA is about $470k. I'm suggesting the minimum wage in the UFC be about $30k. You may call it apples and oranges but we have to start somewhere.
Feel free to quote stats that make me look like an idiot. Point out how I fought for the title and got brutally KO'ed. All I'm doing is trying to help my fellow fighters and speak my opinion. I'm not representing anyone but myself. I can only speak from my own experiences.
And my experience with the UFC was amazing. I got to fight for the world title, man! And Dana personally decided to pay for my back surgery. Not too many other bosses would do that. Everything in my life besides my daughter has come from fighting. And I'd do it all over again.
Oh, I'm not trying to generate interest for a comeback on my part. I'm not trying to promote Bellator or get cut from the UFC so I can fight for them. I'm sharing MY experiences. Good AND bad. And when I see the fighters losing sponsorship dollars for no good reason, that's when I feel I need to speak up.
Honestly, I don't enjoy this. But I have this little voice inside my head that won't let me sleep unless it gets its chance to talk.
Thank you all
Supported
Its an issue that has to be addressed.
TTT