The Jon Fitch UFC exit situation (and his subsequent disclosure of the money he made) got me thinking about what fighters are paid. Jon conveniently left out his sponsorships in his discussion of compensation. It made me wonder how much more a fighter being in the UFC is worth to sponsors. Does anyone have any info (or even guesses) they'd be willing to share?
you could lose 3 in a row and still make good money fighting in bellator.
Well considering the lack of blue chip sponsors or even reasonable sized companies outside a certain line of business i would not bet on the sponsor deals being that great of anybody apart from the real upper echelon type of guys.
Listen dudes like Jon Fitch (who are legit as fuck,even though this lose is going to hurt him) still need to do seminars.
Its suprising though. I mean the lack of normal sponsorship deal really puzzles me considering the extra amount of eyes the UFC athletes now have on them. Its guess it still a perception issue. The easiest place for decent size sponsoring seem to be Brazil. Mainstream companies embraced it down there a lot sooner then they did in the States.
Then again boxing always sort of had that problem as well i guess.
But to answer you question, and this is strictly based on my personal thought (i am hardly the expert) dudes like Fitch and Rampage might be making better or the same amount of money from sponsors in Bellator/WSOF respective because i do believe that there less strict (in the case of WSOF ) then the UFC or are directly owned by an media company that now has a stake in the image rights of Rampage (in terms of Bellator).
The sponsoring situation needs to change ASAP in the UFC though. Hope to god UFC channel in latin america picks up so Cain can get some legit sponsorship deals.Nobody deserves it more in my eyes (though all fighters are more deserving).
OP: that varies tremendously based on factors like of you were famous elsewhere (or a top 10/20 fighter that wasn't in the UFC yet), card placement, weight division (this is sadly true anywhere), etc.
The reason Mamed Khalidov, Bibiano Fernandes, and probably Tatsuya Kawajiri and Shinya Aoki are not in the UFC is because they got better offers elsewhere. That's not going to be true for many people, but if you're a top flight prospect in Russia or especially Poland, the offer you get from another fed might be better and come sooner than the first offer the UFC gives you.
So you're asking about a situation with too many variables. You'll need to be more specific. Like UFC vs. Bellator would probably be easier (assuming one could get sponsor info which is a big maybe). 
Chromium, I left the question open to invite various points of view. I have thought about WSOF and Bellator maybe being more attractive in the respect that the fights are televised and available to more people (theoretically) than a UFC PPV. Obviously, UFC on Fox shows would be even more attractive still since more eyes would see that than probably any other MMA events.
Is it about the number of eyes on the logo? Is it people who are passionate about the sport and would support fighters no matter what?
Would you ask how much more in endorsements Peyton Manning gets paid by playing in the NFL?
If not, what is the point of this question?
And if by conveniently, you mean, it is entirely irrelevant to what the UFC paid him, I agree.
Macedawgg, of course people talk about NFL players' income with respect to their endorsements. Most mainstream athletes see that. The talk about Michael Jordan back in the day was that his basketball salary was not in the top 10 highest in the NBA, but that he more than made up for it with his endorsements. Tiger Woods' income always comes with mention of endorsements. So yes, I would ask about Peyton Manning's endorsements. If there was another relevant football league, I'd ask about those endorsements and whether one league provided better opportunity than the other.
Fitch presented it as though he was making a paltry sum (and I admit that I considered it shockingly low). He did not mention how his exposure through the UFC afforded him additional financial opportunities. It was a bit disingenuous. I would like to see fighters get paid more, but the UFC has come under fire while promotions like the WSOF runs a $200,000 total payroll. Though this thread is getting off track with this, I think it's funny how Dana and the boys are getting crucified while other companies are getting away with murder and get a pass. I think that promotions get the heat for never giving enough while we continually ignore the benefits that come to fighters just by the exposure that they get.
Can we go back to discussing the relative value of those endorsements now?
No, they never discuss whether the NBA added to Jordan's endorsement value--which is the question you are asking. The same is true of the NFL. His exposure? He earned that--by making the major leagues and later--by performing well. It isn't some benefit conferred upon him by the UFC.
The UFC, by its own proclamation, has declared itself the "NFL" of MMA, and deems everyone else as "minor leagues." Numerous statements by Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta have been made, over years, stating exactly this.
If this is true, and MMA is a sport, the athletes entering the UFC have earned their position on merit and talent. They have thus earned their endorsement opportunities through merit and talent.
This isn't American Idol, nor should it be considered as such.
Macedawgg, you logic is really flawed. I don't care if Dana said, "We're the only MMA promotion out there." The fact is that WSOF and Bellator are available on cable TV for consumption. Dana's statements are irrelevant when the reality is clearly contrary to what he says (in the interest of promoting his brand). You can see top-level MMA on TV in various places. You don't get that with baseball, basketball or football (unless you make the argument that the CFL or arena football are competitors). There is no doubt that Fitch was where he was because of hard work and talent, but without the UFC and the work they did developing a platform for him (and others) to have exposure, he'd be nowhere. It's not like he came from the NFL combine straight to the cage...
c hurrle - Macedawgg, you logic is really flawed. I don't care if Dana said, "We're the only MMA promotion out there." The fact is that WSOF and Bellator are available on cable TV for consumption. Dana's statements are irrelevant when the reality is clearly contrary to what he says (in the interest of promoting his brand). You can see top-level MMA on TV in various places. You don't get that with baseball, basketball or football (unless you make the argument that the CFL or arena football are competitors). There is no doubt that Fitch was where he was because of hard work and talent, but without the UFC and the work they did developing a platform for him (and others) to have exposure, he'd be nowhere. It's not like he came from the NFL combine straight to the cage...
Is it contrary?
Have you taken a look at the rankings? There is a common denominator.
How about media coverage? Isn't the UFC covered disproportionately in relation to all other promotions, which are treated as minor leagues?
Bellator's own champion's consider Bellator a minor league, and have publicly stated as much. To the general public as a whole, the UFC is MMA.
I do agree with you--there is top level MMA occurring elsewhere, it just isn't treated or viewed by the general populace and media as such--due largely to the UFC's various efforts. . .
The UFC is benefiting disproportionately from the market that THEY developed. That's not an accident. The fact is that the UFC has the best talent across the board of any promotion, but I would submit that the rankings are also skewed because of the perception that the UFC has superior talent. The success that Strikeforce guys have had illustrates that there are plenty of top level guys that are outside of the UFC.
Your argument is supporting what I was saying though- being part of the UFC creates a perception of excellence and that creates financial opportunities for fighters. Again, what is the value of that relative to other promotions?
No, it isn't supporting what you are saying--unless you don't believe MMA is a sport. That really is the crux of our discussion. If MMA is a sport, the athletes earn their spots. . .
At inception, it may have been a chicken-egg scenario, but as it cemented, it doesn't matter which came first. Fitch, and all others, made the "major leagues."
I agree with you--there are top level guys in other promotions--Strikeforce is a great example. Look at how the Strikeforce fighters were viewed and treated by many, many media sites prior to moving to the UFC. As inferior. .
Further, you state that the UFC "DEVELOPED" the market. That is one view. Another might be that they stifled the market by allowing for only one outlet. Why is it that a fighter can't ascend rankings, and then promote himself? Response--UFC refuses to recognize outside rankings, abused (for years) any media who considered any fighters not in the UFC world class, and requires exclusivity to Zuffa and a host of other terms which are dicated to even enter the "tournament."
^^^
These practices are illegal in boxing.
Most of the more common sponsors of MMA end up paying anywhere from a couple thousand to twenty to thirty thousand.
Somebody from Training Mask threw out the range of 3-15k. An agent talked about a company paying a fighter a set amount per month, using 4k as an example.
Joe Lauzon, back when he faced Kenny Florian, made 52k from sponsors. Mir, when he beat Lesnar way back, made 85k from sponsors.
Now those two examples are not recent, but they show us what has been paid previously.
Fitch made the "major leagues". Plural. Again, what is the relative value of being in the UFC as opposed to the other major promotions? If you think the financial value of a fighter is not tied to their promotional affiliation, you are delusional. It's great that you believe that a fighter has "earned" their value based on their own merits. I disagree with you. Look at smaller shows. They often promote a fighter as "former UFC veteran", not "great hardworking fighter". Should it be the latter. Probably, but why would Zuffa try to devalue their brand that way?
It'd be interesting to see how much Fitch's sponsors paid him for his last UFC fight, and how much they paid him for his WSOF debut.
c hurrle - Fitch made the "major leagues". Plural. Again, what is the relative value of being in the UFC as opposed to the other major promotions? If you think the financial value of a fighter is not tied to their promotional affiliation, you are delusional. It's great that you believe that a fighter has "earned" their value based on their own merits. I disagree with you. Look at smaller shows. They often promote a fighter as "former UFC veteran", not "great hardworking fighter". Should it be the latter. Probably, but why would Zuffa try to devalue their brand that way?
You are reversing the premise.
I am saying, the promoter of the "major league" does not confer any benefit to talent who arrives in the major leagues. Clearly, you want to say, since a Zuffa athlete earns X amount in sponsors, and a Bellator athlete earns Y amount, Zuffa provides more benefits.
But, that really isn't the case. The fighters obtain more precisely BECAUSE they are viewed as top tier.
As to "major leagues"--amusing. You know why "Major Leagues" is a phrase--because MLB is the American and National League. . . both part of MLB (one league).
"Another might be that they stifled the market by allowing for only one outlet."
There are plenty of other MMA promotions around. Bellator, WSOF, plenty of options for fans out there.
"Why is it that a fighter can't ascend rankings, and then promote himself?"
This has to do with MMA being a niche sport and not that popular amongst casual sports fans. Casual sports fans know the UFC brand. Most don't even know what MMA stands for. If a fighter leaves the UFC either because his contract expires or is cut, he or she can certainly start their promotion and promote his/her own fights. The UFC is just one promotion in the sport of MMA.
"Response--UFC refuses to recognize outside rankings,"
I'm fine with UFC only recognizing their own rankings, just I'm fine with Bellator only recognizing their own rankings. There are promotional rankings. It just happens that the UFC is the best and biggest promotion out there.
"abused (for years) any media who considered any fighters not in the UFC world class,"
The media will be just fine. They can take care of themselves. Plenty of sport personalities abuse the media.
"and requires exclusivity to Zuffa and a host of other terms which are dicated to even enter the "tournament." "
Pro boxers are also exclusive to one promoter.
Just like the Norfolk Tides get a bump when David Wright is on a rehab assignment. . . the bump is because it IS or WAS a big league player. . .
It isn't a benefit that is being paid out by the promoter.