Official UFC Thread - Part 2

[Project862006]

bisping has a highly underrated guard and bjj game

i can see him throwing a triangle lol

 

[B]

So King Mo is on the roids.

Rampage is gonna have a field day on that when he hears about it, the two have been at each others throats on Twitter for months. Rampage would smash King Mo if they fought.

Man I really don't like seeing fighters injured, but that is a good consolation prize. Chael is going to handle Bisping.

In my opinion this is a more interesting matchup for Sonnen anyways. Bisping has a very good anti-wrestling game. Hes got good TDD & fights well off his back in the few times we've seen him there. He gave Evans a tough bout at 205lbs so we'll see.

Should be a good fight Chael's boxing is quite underrated, hes not gonna be finishing many guys by dropping them but technically he doesn't look that bad.. he won't want to stand with such a strong kickboxer as Bisping though. Both guys also seem to have excellent cardio with Bisping just slightly edging it there. Looking forward to it.

I like Bisping/Sonnen better than Munoz/Sonnen that's for sure.

When Munoz returns he should fight Belfort for the next shot.

 

[E-Man]

It's too bad the Sonnen/Bisping fight is only on a week's notice. They could make some really big hype on that fight if they had 3 months.

 

[Marvin]

Will Sonnen ever fight another Wrestler again?

I was actually hoping to see him fight someone he wouldn't simply toss on their back and control till they maybe possible throw up a triangle.

That being said if Bisping can keep it standing he will pick Chael apart...he won't though...even mayhem got him to the ground.

Sigh, Sonnen by decision...of course.
I'm eager to see Bisping and Silva stand.

 

[Project862006]

Undefeated Chris Weidman is now Facing Maia

 

[Mace Bloodstone]

Yeah, looks like it.

I don't know why fighters take these steroids if they're injured. Just cancel your fight instead of ruining your rep and taking a year on the bench.

It helps accelerate body healing from what I've read.

 

[TheVileOne]

Mo is denying it but most guys who get caught have.

Has the NSAC overturned the win into a No Contest yet?

I kind of like Bisping/Sonnen better. Also who knows, maybe Bisping will pull it out. Stranger things have happened. Sonnen/Munoz could still happen sooner or later.

I sort of think a guy like Rousimar Palhares might just beat Sonnen because he sucks at submission defense.

 

[CrypticOne]

It helps accelerate body healing from what I've read.

Yeah, I know. But it makes no sense. You're gonna get caught.

My picks for this weekend:

Guillard over Miller via TKO
Ludwig over Neer via decision
Easton over Papazian via decision
Barry over Morecraft via TKO

 

[SuperSoldier985]

Bisping vs Silva sounds interesting...

 

[CrypticOne]

Bisping vs Silva sounds interesting...

That a joke?

Bisping crumbles under pressure. And he has no clinch or takedowns to use against someone like Anderson.

 

[SuperSoldier985]

So what?

It's still interesting..

 

[DoomsdayApex]

Did anybody catch today's episode of OTL on ESPN?

You can also watch the video here:

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/7452261/ufc-fighters-say-low-pay-most-painful-hit-all

LAS VEGAS -- UFC fighters are among the toughest athletes competing in sports. Fiercely competitive, they enter the octagon knowing they could be cut, bruised or placed in submission holds that could render them temporarily unconscious. With each fight, they run the risk of suffering career-ending injuries.

But mentioning "fighter pay" to this same group of men brings forth a completely different side. They become consumed with fear. Flight instincts take over.

[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
UFC fighters show no fear in the octagon, but they are scared to talk publicly about what they say is unfair low pay for the sports' non-stars.
"Career suicide," one current fighter said when approached by "Outside the Lines" for comment.

"It would be the end of my career," said another current fighter, a former champion, when asked for an on-the-record interview about the UFC's fighter pay scale.

The men who run the Ultimate Fighting Championship are benefiting from unprecedented revenue growth -- the company purchased rival Strikeforce in March for $34 million, further tightening its stranglehold on the mixed martial arts industry. Recently, the UFC inked a seven-year deal worth a reported $100 million annually with FOX, its first significant broadcast agreement with a major network.

The UFC, $44 million in debt as recently as 2005, according to chief executive officer Lorenzo Fertitta, is today widely believed by industry insiders to be worth north of a billion dollars.

While paydays for top draws like Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre can run into the millions (St. Pierre recently told Agence France-Presse he earns between $4 million and $5 million per fight), entry-level fighters who compete under the banner of the UFC do so for as little as $6,000 if they fail to win their first match.

"We're basically fighting for crumbs," said one current UFC fighter, a veteran of more than a dozen years in the sport who also asked that his name be withheld for fear of reprisals from UFC management.

"The top 5 percent [of fighters] are definitely making good money, but you've got to look at the guys at the bottom of the card," the fighter said. "They can't fight anywhere else. If they make $10,000 a fight and fight every six months, they can't make ends meet."

'Fighter X' on life in the UFC
Excerpts from an interview "Outside the Lines" conducted with a current veteran UFC fighter who has been in the sport of mixed martial arts for more than a decade.
"I try to fight three times a year. I'm in the middle tier of fighters. I make between $20,000 to $28,000 to show and $20,000 to $28,000 to win. That's terrible pay when you think about how many millions these guys [UFC ownership] are making.
"Their business practices are hardcore and cut-throat. We're paid like entertainers when we should be paid like athletes. They want us hungry. They want us to be poor … so they have more control over us.
"We have to pay a boxing coach, a wrestling coach and pay for all of our supplements. We have training insurance, but we're not covered with complete medical coverage.
"Training expenses in an average year can run $22,000, and that's with no travel. For a typical fight, you and your corner man share a room. You fly in on Tuesday and leave Sunday and get a $50 per day per diem. If you bring anybody extra, they take it out of your show money.
"They make the fans out to think that they give out all these bonuses. They're [the bonuses] $5,000 to $10,000 on average. Most of the locker room bonuses I've seen are $5,000.
"If you're winning all your fights, it's good [Fighter X says he made $80,000 in his best year]. But we have no retirement. We're not employees. We're all independent contractors. Just like in boxing, 10 to 15 years from now, just like you see a lot of old, broke boxers, you're going to see a lot of old broke MMA fighters."
"We're definitely not getting our fair share of the cash," said another fighter currently under contract with the UFC. A fan favorite, he, too, refused to be named, citing concerns about the reaction from UFC management.

"Any opposition, they [expletive] crush it," said the fighter. "Until somebody starts a union, we're all sort of at their mercy."

Fertitta, CEO of Zuffa LLC, the parent company of the UFC, said dissent among fighters is not only commonplace but tolerated.

"Anybody can talk about anything. We've had plenty of situations where fighters have come out and made statements. … Have they been blackballed or banned? Absolutely not," Fertitta said.

UFC management has had public disagreements in the past with some of its top fighters over the issue of compensation and image rights -- former heavyweight champion Randy Couture and top welterweight contender Jon Fitch to name just two.

Both were eventually welcomed back into the fold; Couture after a bitter legal fight with the UFC, Fitch after he was cut by UFC management and then reinstated a day later.

"Outside the Lines" recently conducted a wide-ranging interview with Fertitta about the issue of fighter pay and other aspects of the UFC's business.

Among items Fertitta noted:

•* Since 2005, the first year the UFC became profitable, the company has paid more than $250 million to its fighters.

•* 39 UFC fighters have become millionaires as a result of their earnings from the company.

•* 29 fighters on the current roster receive a cut of pay-per-view profits.

•* Since 2005, fighter pay has grown at twice the rate of revenue growth.

What Fertitta won't say is how much revenue the UFC currently generates. As the head of a private company, he's not obligated to disclose those figures to anybody, including the roughly 300 fighters with whom he and UFC president Dana White negotiate contracts.

According to a May 2010 "Standard and Poor's" report, 75 percent of the UFC's revenue comes from live pay-per-view events. The remainder comes from merchandising, distribution agreements and other live and taped television broadcasts (the UFC's contract with Spike TV to broadcast live events and "The Ultimate Fighter" ran through 2011).

When asked what percentage of that revenue goes to fighters, Fertitta said it's "not far off what the other sports leagues pay as a percentage of revenue."

Revenue-sharing formulas in the NBA, MLB, NFL and NHL give athletes about 50 percent of revenue. "[It's] in that neighborhood, yeah," Fertitta said.

"That's an absurd statement," said Rob Maysey, an Arizona-based attorney who in 2005 founded the Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Association. Largely powerless, the UFC has taken the tack of ignoring the organization, which claims about 50 fighters and trainers as members.

"The UFC is in the neighborhood of the major professional sports in terms of payout percentages compared to revenue generated in the same way as I am in the 'neighborhood' of challenging for Anderson Silva's middleweight title," Maysey said.

After examining pay-per-view numbers, live gate proceeds and other revenue streams, Maysey estimates the UFC has annual revenues between $350 million and $450 million.

Yet the median per fight income for fighters remains low, between $17,000 and $23,000, figures he said he obtained from his many conversations with current fighters.

Fertitta said that fighters have the potential to substantially boost their earnings through the company's incentive-driven pay model.

"We pay discretionary bonuses. No different than any other company that may be out there," Fertitta said. "We pay you for performance."

During each pay-per-view event, fighters are eligible to receive bonuses for either the submission of the night, knockout of the night or fight of the night. In addition to those structured incentives, which have ranged from $65,000 to $135,000 in recent years, the UFC also awards discretionary bonuses, Fertitta said.

"We've had guys that maybe were making $200,000 and said, 'You know what? This guy promoted the heck out of the fight. He performed. Write him a check for a million dollars,'" Fertitta said.

Even taking the unreported bonuses into consideration, Maysey said the 50 percent revenue-sharing claim is not accurate.

[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Reed Saxon
UFC president Dana White, left, and UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, center, announce a multiyear, multi-platform agreement between UFC and Fox Media Group in August.
"The [UFC's] payout percentages in terms of revenue generated are far from the percentages paid to athletes by the NFL, MLB, NBA or NHL," Maysey said. "If I'm taking all revenue from all sources, I would put it around 5 percent."

"Outside the Lines" interviewed dozens of sources about the issue of fighter pay -- current and former UFC fighters, managers, agents, rival promoters and former UFC executives. On average, they estimated the UFC pays fighters roughly 10 percent of the revenue generated from its live events, essentially the inverse of the boxing business model.

"I think they have a tremendous business paradigm," said Lou DiBella, a New York-based boxing promoter who spent more than a decade as a programming executive running the boxing division of HBO Sports.

The percentage of event-generated revenue that goes to a boxer could be as high as 85 percent, DiBella said.

"A 70/30 deal is completely common," DiBella said, meaning 70 percent of the revenue generated from the fight goes to the boxer, the remaining 30 percent to the promoter.

Under the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, a federal law DiBella helped author, promoters are required to disclose to boxers how much money their fights generate. No such law applies to the sport of mixed martial arts.

"You have one industry that's not disclosing and thriving, and another industry that is disclosing and dying," DiBella said.

Fertitta likened that comparison to apples and oranges: "What you have to understand is that our model is different. We are everything. … We're the promoter. We're the television producer. We're responsible for all the costs that go into the production, and you're talking millions and millions of dollars.

"We employ well over 500 people just to make this machine run."

Within the sport there has been talk of a fighter's union, and for the past three years, Maysey has been aggressively pitching fighters on the benefit of bargaining with a unified voice.

Maysey has traveled the country at his own expense, speaking to small groups of fighters and trainers, touting the merits of joining the MMAFA.

Among other things in his presentation to fighters, Maysey highlights the percentage of revenue the fighters receive from the UFC's live pay-per-view events.

He's gone so far as to venture into Fertitta's own backyard to make his pitch.

Lawsuit details top-fighter's payday
A lawsuit filed in Las Vegas in December by the former management company of heavyweight Alistair Overeem against Overeem provides a rare glimpse into the UFC's often secretive and multilayered methods of paying its top fighters.

Overeem earned a bout fee of $264,285 for defeating Brock Lesnar in UFC 141 and another $121,428 as a "win bonus," according to figures reported to the Nevada Athletic Commission.
What the UFC did not have to report, and what's alleged in the lawsuit, is that Overeem also earned a "Pay Per View bonus of $2.00/view for each viewer" in the U.S., Canada and online in excess of $500,000. Additionally, according to the lawsuit, Overeem earned one-third of a $1 million signing bonus he'd agreed to in September as part of a three-fight deal with the UFC.
Rob Maysey, an Arizona-based attorney who in 2005 founded the Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Association, said the UFC structured Overeem's contract in such a way that the overwhelming amount of Overeem's earnings for defeating Lesnar, some $2 million by Maysey's estimate, amounted to off-the-books money, and therefore remained unknown to other fighters who might be intent on negotiating similarly lucrative deals.
In early May, while UFC management was hosting its two-day "fighter summit" at the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa in Las Vegas, Maysey booked a room at the same hotel. Red Rock is one of 19 gaming properties owned by Station Casino Group (Fertitta and his brother, Frank, also own a controlling interest in Station Casinos).

Maysey held an impromptu meeting in his hotel room, which, he said, quickly grew from four to 19 fighters as word spread through the hotel.

"There were fighters who were in the room who, if they thought their presence would be publicized, they wouldn't have gone," Maysey said of the gathering, which initially occurred under the radar of UFC management.

According to Maysey, he did not sell the fighters in attendance that day on the idea of starting a union, but rather an association, which he said would resemble the Major League Baseball Players Association or the Screen Actors Guild.

"I'm going to guys and saying, 'You have a very slim sliver of ancillary rights left. Join together. All the other sports figured that out,'" Maysey said.

It's a hard sell.

"The vast majority of people I meet with want to do it, but 75 percent of that majority fear repercussion, so they won't," Maysey said.

"The only way that you can get a union is to get all of the top 30 fighters in the UFC … all of them to agree that 'we're going to stand together and do this,'" said Iowa-based promoter and manager Monte Cox.

"If it's the top five, they [UFC management] can kill off the top five and still keep going," Cox said. Cox currently manages 70 fighters, 16 of whom are under contract with the UFC.

Talk of a fighters union is nothing new. Former UFC welterweight champion Pat Miletich remembers similar discussions brewing back when he was competing, shortly after the Fertittas purchased the company in 2001.

"To organize a fighters union I think would be a colossal undertaking to be honest with you," Miletich said. "That's really going to depend on having the right money behind it, powerful people to be able to put it together."

For his part, Lorenzo Fertitta claims he's neutral on the issue.

"I'm not pro union, I'm not against a union. If the fighters want to form a union, that's fine," Fertitta said.

In practice, the Fertitta brothers have had a contentious history with organized labor.

"Station Casinos is an extremely anti-union company. It has been running an aggressive and nasty anti-union campaign," said Ken Liu, research director for the 60,000-member Culinary Workers Local 226 in Las Vegas.

For years, the Culinary Workers Union has been trying to organize service industry employees at the Fertitta-owned Station Casino properties, which largely cater to the local market in Las Vegas.

In an August letter to the FTC's Bureau of Competition, Liu attacked the UFC's restrictive business practices and claimed the company violated federal anti-trust laws.

“
The [UFC's] payout percentages in terms of revenue generated are far from the percentages paid to athletes by the NFL, MLB, NBA or NHL.
”
-- Rob Maysey, founder of the MMA Fighters Association
"As a result of Zuffa's contractual restraints, athletes who compete in the UFC are denied the freedom of movement available to athletes in other professional sports. … These contractual restraints can have the effect of forcing some athletes under contract with the UFC to negotiate with one buyer, depriving them of any real bargaining power and depressing pay below competitive levels," Liu wrote.

On the surface, Liu acknowledges it may seem an odd pairing -- a union that represents cocktail waitresses, bus boys and chambermaids, among others, taking up the cause of UFC fighters.

"For us there's an eerie parallel in how the Fertittas treat their workers at Station Casinos and how they treat fighters in the UFC," Liu said. "As a union we have to continue to put pressure on this company from all conceivable directions."

In September, an administrative law judge with the National Labor Relations Board found that Station Casinos engaged in unfair labor practices more than 80 times.

The judge's 151-page ruling details alleged threats, bribery and interrogation tactics used by Station Casino management against employees who had engaged in union-organizing activities.

Station Casinos is appealing the decision.

In a statement on its website, the company dismissed the union tactics as "an ongoing campaign of harassment."

"The Culinary Workers Union filed baseless charges alleging violations of employee rights. … We are confident that the National Labor Relations Board will find that in no instance did Station Casinos violate any aspect of the law," the statement reads.

The case is instructive for Maysey, who's come as close as anyone to taking on the task of getting UFC fighters to organize.

While Maysey remains hopeful UFC fighters will one day join forces to negotiate better deals on their image and marketing rights, he is less than optimistic they'll ever mobilize into a full-fledged union.

"I'm not sure that it will ever happen," Maysey said.

John Barr is a reporter in ESPN's Enterprise Unit and can be reached at [email protected]. Josh Gross is an MMA writer for ESPN. Enterprise Unit producer Greg Amante also contributed to this report.

Follow "Outside the Lines" on Twitter: @OTLonESPN. Follow ESPN_Reader on Twitter: @ESPN_Reader."

 

[Paroxysm]

I hope Pat Barry gets a win. He's a cool dude but one more loss and he'll probably be cut.

I'm hearing rumors that Bigfoot Silva is making his promotional debut sometime in April. Some people on Sherdog suggested Gonzaga as a potential opponent. I think that would be pretty fun to see.

 

[TheVileOne]

That story is old news now DoomsdayApex, and pretty much ********.

Great fights for UFC on FX tonight. Great win for Miller. Melvin son, learn some submission defense man! All six UFC losses all by submission!

 

[DoomsdayApex]

Bulls**t? I think not.

The UFC is, indeed, a Monopoly, and if any fighter takes a stand, Dana White takes a piss on your career.

BJ Penn, Randy Couture, Pedro Rizzo, Tito Ortiz, Jon Fitch, Dan Henderson, etc have talked about how White does 'business'.

 

[EML420]

What happened to Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogen lol.
But to me Dana White comes off to much like a fan he needs to be more of business man some times.
Having personal beefs with fighters is something I dont think a president of a company should have.

 

[TheVileOne]

Bulls**t? I think not.

It is BS and ESPN's agenda has already been expose.d

The UFC is, indeed, a Monopoly, and if any fighter takes a stand, Dana White takes a piss on your career.

You don't know the definition of monopoly. A billion dollar company just bought a controlling interest in Bellator. Even now you can find dozens of different promotions that have broadcast access on HDNet, Legal online streaming, MTV2 et al.

It is not UFC's fault they do the game better than everyone and do it the best. EliteXC and Affliction were poorly run businesses and companies. It is not the UFC's fault they went under. It is not the UFC's job to create competition for itself.

BJ Penn, Randy Couture, Pedro Rizzo, Tito Ortiz, Jon Fitch, Dan Henderson, etc have talked about how White does 'business'.

Where do Tito Ortiz, Dan Henderson, BJ Penn, and Jon Fitch all fight now? Where did Randy Couture go back to? Look at the numbers. All these guys got paid by the UFC. They all became filthy rich by UFC and ZUFFA. What did Randy Couture say? Why wasn't Randy Couture on ESPN? Look at the numbers for Tito Ortiz's paydays, Ortiz got ****ING PAID.

Pedro Rizzo is a drug addict and has little credibility. The dude was so hard up for money he tried to sell his UFC title belt on Ebay.

Ortiz was delusional. NO ONE outside of the UFC was willing to pay what Ortiz wanted. EliteXC, Strikeforce, and Affliction all were unable to make business deals with Tito Ortiz. And what happened ultimately? Ortiz went back to UFC and UFC kept giving him fights and paid him lots of money even when he was on a huge losing streak.

Henderson left and went to Strikeforce. He parted on good terms. He got paid in Strikeforce and became a free agent after beating Fedor and he got a new deal with the UFC. Look at his Pride paydays. UFC paid him even more than what he was getting in Pride.

The only fighters actually quoted in that BS story were Ken Shamrock and Pedro Rizzo. Shamrock who was recently caught cheating and not only that lost a false lawsuit he brought about against the UFC and now owes them hundreds of thousands in legal fees.

No BJ Penn. No Tito Ortiz. No Jon Fitch.

Jon Fitch doesn't have a leg to stand on. UFC gave him everything. Look at his paydays. Who else is going to pay Jon Fitch that kind of money except the UFC. The UFC gave him a title shot. HE LOST! Fitch has nothing to ***** about. He's made a good living being the most boring UFC fighter of all time. It's not UFC's fault that Jon Fitch is not an elite fighter and couldn't win the title.

Whatever Penn and White's issues in the past they have been resolved and Penn has said as such. The way I see it, Penn has his own problems at times. He thought he could be a middleweight and light heavyweight fighter and constantly shows his laziness and unwillingness to take his training seriously. UFC gave him a platform and numerous title shots and big fights. UFC pays him well and also gives him PPV points. Sounds like good money to me.

 

[DaveMoral]

I'd say in mma generally fighter pay is a big issue, but it's not so much UFC that's the culprit. Dude's there make pretty good money. It's not boxer money, but that's another story itself. Those kind of paydays arent warranted imo.

 

[DoomsdayApex]

There's no point in arguing with a Dana White nuthugger so let me state this:

Yes, the UFC is a Monopoly. Have you even taken Macro & Micro-Economics and Business Ethics courses VileOne? There's a reason why the UFC is being investigated. Dana White and Zuffa will more than likely escape (if Insurance Companies and Banks survived their scandals then so will Zuffa) but that doesn't mean they're innocent and that they're playing by the rules (especially when arriving to the Anti-Trust violations). And let's not even get into the Xyience insider-dealing and bankruptcy.

So please Vile, your words (and Dana's) are as hallow as when Dana promised to keep PRIDE and Strikeforce alive after the buyouts.

No company has the right to own YOUR personal rights or likeness for life, and no company or corporation should have the power to blacklist you or any media outlet.

 

[TheVileOne]

There's no point in arguing with a Dana White nuthugger so let me state this:

Yes, the UFC is a Monopoly. Have you even taken Macro & Micro-Economics and Business Ethics courses VileOne? There's a reason why the UFC is being investigated. Dana White and Zuffa will more than likely escape (if Insurance Companies and Banks survived their scandals then so will Zuffa) but that doesn't mean they're innocent and that they're playing by the rules (especially when arriving to the Anti-Trust violations). And let's not even get into the Xyience insider-dealing and bankruptcy.

Yes I have. And there is no monopoly. I hear rumors about investigation but where are the reports? FTC aren't saying anything.

NBA was sued over antitrust violations in the 1970's after the ABA merger. I see no actual federal action being taken against the UFC.

What did UFC do? They built this business and did it smarter and better than anyone else. Affliction, EliteXC, IFL, and Strikeforce only got in the MMA business because of what the UFC was doing. And none of them were able to do it better. They all spent too much money or failed to make enough money to sustain their business models. It is not the UFC's fault they run their **** better than everyone else.

You want to know who didn't play by the rules? Oh a little organization named Pride FC that was funded and run by the Japanese YAKUZA! You know the Yakuza right? The Japanese criminal mafia right? They were pulled from TV because of their mafia ties not because of the UFC. It wasn't due to some UFC, anti-Pride conspiracy.

So please Vile, your words (and Dana's) are as hallow as when Dana promised to keep PRIDE and Strikeforce alive after the buyouts.

Last time I checked Strikeforce is still alive and well. They made a new deal this year with Showtime and they are staying on the air. Did UFC keep Strikeforce alive after the buyout? Umm . . . yes they did. And at the time I honestly believe they wanted to keep Pride alive as well. It didn't work out.

No company has the right to own YOUR personal rights or likeness for life, and no company or corporation should have the power to blacklist you or any media outlet.

Tell that to the NCAA. NCAA somehow is able to make millions of dollars off of the images and likenesses off of college athletes that they never see a dime of. And that's legal why?

It is my understanding that fighters do get residuals and revenue from videogame and action figures. I read an interview with Sean Sherk where he talked about negotiating deals with his sponsors for his action figures to get money from it. Same thing with the videogame. So clearly whatever the deal is not as restrictive as the haters believe.

Media outlets. What is this blacklist BS? UFC is a privately run company and they can credential who ever they want. Credentials aren't some sort of God-given legal right. Why just because you are some sort of journalist means you should get VIP access to every event? Especially with all this awful MMA journalism out there. If they are blacklisting journalists that means they are actively keeping them from getting jobs or work at other companies.

 

[TheVileOne]

I'd say in mma generally fighter pay is a big issue, but it's not so much UFC that's the culprit. Dude's there make pretty good money. It's not boxer money, but that's another story itself. Those kind of paydays arent warranted imo.

Boxers on ESPN boxing cards make $275.

Top MMA fighters might not make top boxer money, but all across the card, the pay is much more balanced than pretty much any pro boxing card.

Lower level UFC fighters talk about their pay in the UFC and they are despite being low level guys are able to live comfortable upper middle class lifestyles:

http://mmajunkie.com/news/27015/wit...ed-light-on-life-in-octagons-middle-class.mma

With fighter pay in spotlight, UFC vets shed light on life in octagon's middle-class
by Steven Marrocco on Jan 17, 2012 at 8:45 pm ET
For three of the UFC's rank and file, the bottom line rarely ends at "show" and "win."

Sponsorships, performance bonuses, and discretionary bonuses help to line the pockets of George Roop, Jacob Volkmann and Nam Phan.

They are not millionaires. But despite a wide disparity in pay with their headliner counterparts, figures disclosed by the fighters painted an upper-middle-class living.

Pay-per-view dollars are, for now, a faraway dream that Roop, Volkmann and Phan hope to realize. They have won and lost and are no strangers to the preliminary card. They draw hardcore interest but are known by a casual few.

Featherweight Roop, a veteran of "The Ultimate Fighter 8," has fought nine times in the now-defunct WEC and UFC and carries a record of 3-5-1 under the Zuffa-owned promotions. Lightweight Volkmann signed with the promotion in 2009 and has fought seven times in the UFC, where he's amassed a 5-2 record including five consecutive wins inside the octagon. Phan, a veteran of "The Ultimate Fighter 12," has fought four times in the UFC as a featherweight and carries a 1-3 record.

Thirty-nine millionaires have been created by the promotion, according to UFC executive Lorenzo Fertitta, who defended his company's pay structure in a controversial segment aired on Sunday for ESPN's "Outside the Lines." Responding to charges that top stars are compensated handsomely while lower-tier fighters risk life and limb for as low as $6,000 a fight, he said the company shares around 50 percent of its revenue with athletes under contract.

Roop, Volkmann and Phan's guaranteed pay leans toward the lower end of what fighters make in the promotion.

But they're not struggling.

The pay

Roop plainly said it was nobody's business how much money he makes. But he also wanted to make it plainly known that he feels well-compensated.

"I just bought a house, and you have to remember, I'm on the lower echelon," he told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com)

Roop said he made $6,000 for his first fight of 2011, which took place in January at "UFC Fight Night 23: UFC Fights for the Troops 2." He got knocked out in 88 seconds by onetime training partner Mark Hominick, who went on to challenge current featherweight champ Jose Aldo for the title.

Roop, who negotiated a multi-fight contract with the WEC that carried over to the UFC, would have made another $6,000 in guaranteed pay had he won the main-card fight. But as it turned out, he was afterward given a $6,000 discretionary bonus. He also took home an additional $20,000 in pay from sponsors after a 15 percent deduction from a manager who helps him secure such support.

As Fertitta explained to ESPN, discretionary bonuses put extra pay in a fighter's pocket for a particularly good performance. They are not disclosed to state athletic commissions. Performance bonuses are publicly handed out following an event and include "Fight of the Night," "Submission of the Night" and Knockout of the Night." Depending on the fighter and the event, these payouts, which are part of a UFC fighter's taxable income, can dwarf his guaranteed pay.

At The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale event, Roop made another $6,000 to show on the event's preliminary card. But after landing a vicious body punch to Josh Grispi, he earned a $6,000 win bonus, as well as a discretionary bonus he said was "$6,000 or $8,000." Because the fight later aired on Spike TV, he received a pay bump in sponsors that totaled just under $20,000 after his manager's deduction. (Televised fights traditionally fetch higher sponsorship fees because they carry a wider audience than preliminary-card fights. Roop said he's guaranteed higher pay in the event that his bout is broadcast.)

At this past October's UFC 137 event, Roop's pay jumped to a guaranteed $8,000 as the result of his previous win, though he was denied an $8,000 win bonus when he lost a split decision to Hatsu Hioki. Nevertheless, he was paid a "$5,000 or $6,000" discretionary bonus, and picked up an additional $19,000 from sponsors.

In all, Roop estimates he made around $100,000 before taxes from fighting in the UFC this past year. Although he was victorious in just one of three bouts, all were action-packed.

Volkmann, who gave an interview while ice fishing in White Bear Lake, Minn., is reaping the benefits of the pyramid structure typical to UFC contracts in fights this year. He banked $32,000 ($16,000 to show and $16,000 to win) in his most recent fight – a unanimous-decision win over Efrain Escudero at UFC 141 – that amounted to a 22 percent increase from his previous check of $28,000 ($14,000 to show/win), which he earned by outpointing Danny Castillo at UFC on Versus 5. And the payout was a 17 percent increase from the $24,000 ($12,000 to show/win) he earned with a decision win over Antonio McKee at UFC 125.

Twenty percent of Volkmann's show and win purses went to his manager, and he paid his gym $1,000 in gym and training fees.

For UFC 125, he took home a $3,000 discretionary bonus. But that more than doubled at UFC on Versus 5, where he was paid an additional $7,000. He awaits his check from UFC 141.

At the moment, sponsor pay lags. Volkmann, who has fought on preliminary-card bouts in five of seven UFC appearances, said he received $1,500 for UFC 125, $1200 for UFC on Versus 5, and $2,000 for UFC 141. He receives no pay for wearing patches representing his gym and the National Guard, as they don't officially sponsor him.

"Sometimes I'll get a bar, but they only give 250 bucks," he said.

Volkmann, who also runs a chiropractic business and coaches part-time for a high school wrestling team (he is currently on administrative leave), estimates he took home between $60,000 and $65,000 before taxes in 2011.

Phan declined to disclose the discretionary bonuses he earned this past year, though he said they were "always generous." As part of the cast for "The Ultimate Fighter 12," he directly negotiated a deal that gave him a guaranteed $8,000 to show and $8,000 to win for each of his fights. He won one out of his three, though a performance bonus for his fight with Leonard Garcia at UFC 136 put an additional $75,000 in his pocket for "Fight of the Night."

Sponsor-wise, Phan estimates he made between $19,000 and $21,000 this past year.

"I've fought with a lot of other organizations," Phan said. "They pay horrible. They make you sell tickets. UFC is such a huge difference.

"I fought boxing, and I got like a thousand bucks. It was crap. Six-thousand dollars is great!"

The cost

There is constant injury and the monastic life required to compete at the sport's highest levels, but it's also not cheap to be a fighter. Equipment, travel, food, supplements, licensing, and medical insurance are the primary costs associated with the job, the fighters said.

Roop and Volkmann fly additional cornermen to fights and pay for the licensing fees required by state athletic commissions (The UFC covers the cost of one cornerman per fight). Roop gives the UFC's $50 per diem to his team during fight week, as he's cutting weight and isn't eating much. Phan's cornermen fly themselves to his fights and pay their own fees. All pile their teams into the one hotel room covered by the promotion.

"I'm being resourceful and saving up so I have money, so when my future coffeeshop-girl wife tries to divorce me, I can get half," Phan joked.

Volkmann estimates he spends $250 a month on gas getting to and from his gym, Minnesota Mixed Martial Arts Academy. He also spends approximately $500 a year on equipment.

All fighters incurred negligible supplement costs due to sponsorships. Food ate up $500 of Phan's monthly budget, and as a gym owner, he paid $2,250 per month to rent the facility.

The costs of keeping up to date the medical paperwork required by commissions ranged from $150 to $400 yearly.

But as Roop noted, many of the expenses he incurred were tax write-offs, and with the UFC's help, he was able to create a limited liability company in his name that helped him save money at the end of the year.

He also said he profited from appearance requests. A trip to a local Hooters to watch a UFC event netted him $2,000. Additionally, he was able to raise his rate for private MMA lessons to $70 per hour.

Of course, these figures are self-reported and are unlikely to represent the total costs and benefits the fighters incur on a yearly basis. Unnamed fighters quoted by ESPN said they were "fighting for crumbs" and "couldn't make ends meet" if they made $10,000 a fight and fought twice a year. One said training expenses ran $22,000 per year before travel costs were added.

Roop fought three times this past year and has greatly benefitted as the result of his busy schedule. That might not be the case if things slowed. But regardless, he said the UFC's annual fighter summit helped instill a sense of thrift.

Each year, Zuffa flies its contracted athletes to a multi-day conference that addresses the ins and outs of working for the promotion, marketing, drug abuse, and financial planning.

"It's not about how much you earn," Roop said. "It's about how much you keep."

The split

Although widely estimated to be worth in excess of one billion dollars, the UFC's yearly revenue is unknown, and Fertitta, who along with brother Frank Fertitta Jr. owns a majority stake in the privately-held Zuffa, won't reveal an exact figure. Moreover, he declined to reveal amounts given to fighters as discretionary bonuses on the basis that it would cause more complications in their lives.

Fertitta said comparisons with other major sports leagues don't work when gauging Zuffa's generosity to its fighters. He said that unlike the company's major league counterparts, significant costs in marketing, production, and staffing are paid by the company. Despite that, fighter pay has grown a twice the rate of the revenue growth.

Nevertheless, Zuffa could be forced to defend its position to the government. Fertitta said it was his understanding that an investigation launched this past year by the Federal Trade Commission stemmed from Zuffa's purchase of rival promotion Strikeforce.

In a video rebuttal to the ESPN report, upper-echelon fighters interviewed by the UFC staunchly defended the promotion's pay practices. But even for those who didn't enjoy a share of pay-per-view dollars or backstage million-dollar bonuses, the bottom line looked good, particularly when fights were frequent. And when weighed against the alternatives, there seemed no comparison.

"Do I wish that I could make a million dollars? Of course," Roop said. "But I understand that you have to work your way up. I think it's about how much hard work you put in, and how you perform."

 

[DoomsdayApex]

Yes I have. And there is no monopoly. I hear rumors about investigation but where are the reports? FTC aren't saying anything.

So you're saying just because the Free Trade Commission has yet to release a statement, the UFC and Zuffa are innocent of the charges? That's not how it works. If that were the case, there wouldn't be a trial pending on Xyience... or ANY major crime in the states for that matter.

NBA was sued over antitrust violations in the 1970's after the ABA merger. I see no actual federal action being taken against the UFC.

Neither do I. Big money talks. If anyone is getting prosecuted, it'll be a low or mid-tier guy.

What did UFC do? They built this business and did it smarter and better than anyone else.

Smarter and better? No. Not at first.

The first events were on par with Elite XC. Hell, the organization almost went bankrupt. The turn-around transpired when the Fertitta Bros invested into the company, and more rules were added to the bouts thus changing the image of the UFC and its fighters.

Ultimately, I believe The Ulimate Fighter added a significant foundation and layer of credibility to the fighters. Now that was smart.

Affliction, EliteXC, IFL, and Strikeforce only got in the MMA business because of what the UFC was doing.

Yes.

And none of them were able to do it better. They all spent too much money or failed to make enough money to sustain their business models.

For the most part, yes. However, who knows where Affliction be today if Barnett had not used steroids. Their roster was expanding and their cards were gathering attention.

Strikeforce was emerging as a solid competitor as well. Their HW Grand Prix was a fantastic idea, and every fan knows Strikeforce had the better HWs.

I'll be surprised if the tournament finishes its course.

You do realize, the UFC was where Strikeforce was at one point, right? Pride was recognized as the premier organization with the better fighters.

My point here is any company can rise to the UFC's or Pride's level given enough time and effort.

It is not the UFC's fault they run their **** better than everyone else.

Then the UFC wouldn't be investigated by the FTC, now would they? There have been several reports of Tortious Interference and other unethical practices over the last couple of years.

You want to know who didn't play by the rules? Oh a little organization named Pride FC that was funded and run by the Japanese YAKUZA! You know the Yakuza right? The Japanese criminal mafia right? They were pulled from TV because of their mafia ties not because of the UFC. It wasn't due to some UFC, anti-Pride conspiracy.

Did I state Pride's downfall was related to the UFC? No. I'm quite aware of what Pride executives did with the Yakuza.

Last time I checked Strikeforce is still alive and well. They made a new deal this year with Showtime and they are staying on the air. Did UFC keep Strikeforce alive after the buyout? Umm . . . yes they did. And at the time I honestly believe they wanted to keep Pride alive as well. It didn't work out.

You actually believe Strikeforce is going to stay alive? Word on the street is Antonio Silva, Roger Gracie, Gilibert Melendez, King Mo, etc are all heading to the UFC.

Please. I'll be shocked if Strikeforce isn't dissolved by the midpoint of this year -- assuming the FTC doesn't carry out a smackdown.

Tell that to the NCAA. NCAA somehow is able to make millions of dollars off of the images and likenesses off of college athletes that they never see a dime of. And that's legal why?

I agree with you here. What the NCAA is doing is outrageous. I'm disgusted by it and there's no excuse for it.

Vince Wilfork (Boynton native) told me about his struggles during his Freshmen and Sophomore years at Miami. He literally had to make trips back home just to eat in a few cases.

It is my understanding that fighters do get residuals and revenue from videogame and action figures. I read an interview with Sean Sherk where he talked about negotiating deals with his sponsors for his action figures to get money from it. Same thing with the videogame. So clearly whatever the deal is not as restrictive as the haters believe.

Hey, nothing wrong with that (extra money is always a great thing), but there are fighters who don't wish to sign over their personality and I believe they have that right to say 'no' and keep their jobs.

Media outlets. What is this blacklist BS?

Dana White has banned a few journalists from attending live shows, weigh-ins, and other events such as the Expo. The most famous case was Loretta Hunt from Sherdog. Loretta was still allowed to purchase tickets but she was not permitted to do anything as a journalist.

I've seen her participating in media events for the UFC nowadays but who knows what she had to do to get back into Dana's good graces.

UFC is a privately run company and they can credential who ever they want. Credentials aren't some sort of God-given legal right. Why just because you are some sort of journalist means you should get VIP access to every event? Especially with all this awful MMA journalism out there. If they are blacklisting journalists that means they are actively keeping them from getting jobs or work at other companies.

No.

Banning or blacklisting a writer for disagreeing with your views is not 'awful' or mediocre just because you say so. It's Freedom of the Press buddy.

For instance, Ariel could easily debate with Dana on his show but he lays back and takes a tongue lashing because he knows exactly what would happen if he were to call Dana out.

In fact, you should check out their epic 'Fedor' showdown. It's the only time Ariel debates (if you can call it that) with Dana White -- regarding Fedor's rank.

 

[TheVileOne]

So you're saying just because the Free Trade Commission has yet to release a statement, the UFC and Zuffa are innocent of the charges? That's not how it works. If that were the case, there wouldn't be a trial pending on Xyience... or ANY major crime in the states for that matter.

Xyience ain't ZUFFA or the UFC last time I checked. I don't give a **** about Xyience either. So what? Xyience is in a trial pending and so what? When the trial or investigation is actually revealed then I will talk about it's details.

Neither do I. Big money talks. If anyone is getting prosecuted, it'll be a low or mid-tier guy.

All of this is conjecture and does not prove any wrongdoing. If anything the federal government should be thanking ZUFFA for having such a profitable business in one of the worst economic periods of our history. In an economic recession ZUFFA has shown some amazing growth. The government should be rewarding them and not punishing them. ZUFFA are the good guys.

You want to know why? Look at DREAM. Look at all the stories about fighters not getting paid or getting their payments delayed. When do you ever hear about ZUFFA pulling that ****? They always pay their fighters for their appearances. XTC attempted to pull Felice Herrig's show pay when her opponent didn't make weight and Herrig opted not to fight her. Just goes to show what the other rinky dink promotions are doing. UFC doesn't do that and always give fighters their show pay.

Look at Golden Glory. They try to control all their fighters pay and make it all go through them and hose their fighters basically out of more income that should go to their fighters. Management do not deserve a 20% or more cut of a fighters' pay. American Top Team and other training or management camps for example I believe take like 5%.

Smarter and better? No. Not at first.

The first events were on par with Elite XC. Hell, the organization almost went bankrupt. The turn-around transpired when the Fertitta Bros invested into the company, and more rules were added to the bouts thus changing the image of the UFC and its fighters.

That started over 10 years ago and they were losing money hand over fist at first. They lost apparently about $33-40 million before the sport actually started making some money in 2005 or 2006. Dana White and the Fertita Brothers were the ones that invested in the sport and the brand and single-handedly turned the business around. They were the ones promoting the sport and trying to spearhead the legislation in multiple states. When you hear about state athletic commissions like Maine or whatever starting to legalize MMA or opening up the state to MMA promotion that's not by accident. It is because of the UFC's and ZUFFA's influence that new markets are opening up to MMA and more fighters are coming from those markets and able to make a living.

Last year there were tons of deals being made about UFC getting new broadcast rights sold in new international territories. In America that doesn't sound like a big deal to us, but that mans millions more across the globe are being turned onto UFC and MMA. That is good for business and good for international fighters who want to break into the sport.

For the most part, yes. However, who knows where Affliction be today if Barnett had not used steroids. Their roster was expanding and their cards were gathering attention.

Once again their model was not sustainable. This article Atencio admits he should learn from UFC's pay scale and be more like them:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=dw-affliction012109

You are deluding yourself if you really believe Affliction was going to be some sort of force. They were a badly run business. And if they were worth their salt they would've come up with a replacement after the Barnett/Fedor fight fell apart.

Regardless it is not UFC's fault they went under. It was Affliction's doing.

We see promotions pull shady garbage like this as well. Look at Shine Fights and how they fell apart after that Mayorga/Thomas fight got killed. They also failed at compensating the fighters who were promised paydays for that card. UFC is run professionally and doesn't pull crap like that.

Strikeforce was emerging as a solid competitor as well. Their HW Grand Prix was a fantastic idea, and every fan knows Strikeforce had the better HWs.

Strikeforce was far from solid. They squandered their time on CBS and they were unable to get back on their after their second fight failed. Coker constantly promised announcements about CBS that never came. The women's 145 division was a joke. They bought out Elite XC's assets and failed to step up their promoting game. They were still promoting themselves as a regional promotion. Coker let the inmates run the asylum and took no action for blatant acts of insubordination.

Tell me this Doomsday Apex, if they were so solid why did Coker and the ownership sell the company? Clearly they didn't agree. The tournament was a failure and Strikeforce was unable to get it's act together and run it properly. They had a dozen reserve bouts . . . and scheduled the first two rounds way too far apart.

Their heavyweight division was a joke. They acquired Fedor and wouldn't book Fedor against Overeem. Coker said we will "build to Fedor vs. Overeem." That failed. Fedor is submitted by Werdum. Fedor then gets KO'ed out of the first round of the tournament. This is the so called greatest fighter of all time that CBS/Showtime opened their pockets for. Doesn't surprise me the company was sold not long after Fedor lost again. They probably lost a ton of money buying Fedor and co-promoting with M-1 Global. By the way Doomsday Apex, how did co-promotion work out for Strikeforce with M-1 Global? About as well as it did for Bodog, Affliction, Pride FC all dead companies .

I'll be surprised if the tournament finishes its course.

Not the UFC's fault. Strikeforce didn't organize it well from the get go. Barnett's bracket was weak as **** and everyone knows it as people talked about that at the time. Daniel Cormier should've been in the tournament bracket instead of guys like Brett Rogers and Andrei Arlovski.

You do realize, the UFC was where Strikeforce was at one point, right? Pride was recognized as the premier organization with the better fighters.

My point here is any company can rise to the UFC's or Pride's level given enough time and effort.

You've undermined your own point here. If any company can do it, than any of the number of companies that are still out there right now can and just reinforces there is no monopoly. If any company can do it, how is there a monopoly when you have a billion dollar company VIACOM that owns Bellator? You have Bellator on MTV2 and likely Spike TV in 2013. You have numerous promotions on HDNet and online. UFC is not the only game in town.

Then the UFC wouldn't be investigated by the FTC, now would they? There have been several reports of Tortious Interference and other unethical practices over the last couple of years.

Show me the reports and proof of tortuous interference and other unethical practices then. Show me the proof of the FTC investigation. I'm waiting.

Did I state Pride's downfall was related to the UFC? No. I'm quite aware of what Pride executives did with the Yakuza.

You accuse the UFC of unethical and wrong acts and not playing by the rules. From everywhere I see they play by the rules. They submit to the rules and regulations of state laws and athletic commissions. They aren't stuck going to tiny fights Indian reservations and their shady judges. They don't do cute crap like cutting town without paying the fighters. They don't try to get by paying the management instead of the fighters. All the business deals UFC is making look legit to me.

Pride FC on the other hand were being run by a criminal organization. So you are so upset about UFC not playing by the rules when you were probably a Pride fan. Well by that logic you should not be considering it is well document about who was behind Pride. This is what confuses me of high and mighty hardcore MMA fans. They complain of UFC and how they run their business and yet they worship Pride in all it's side freakshow attraction glory even though it was a criminally run business. Seems like a contradiction to me.

You actually believe Strikeforce is going to stay alive? Word on the street is Antonio Silva, Roger Gracie, Gilbert Melendez, King Mo, etc are all heading to the UFC.

For now, yes. Called facts brah:

http://mmajunkie.com/news/26560/str...l-with-eight-events-and-televised-prelims.mma

Strikeforce and Showtime announce new deal with eight events and televised prelims
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Dec 15, 2011 at 3:05 pm ET
As expected, Strikeforce and Showtime have inked a new deal that will keep the Zuffa-owned fight promotion on the premium-cable station.

Officials today announced the deal, which calls for up to eight events, though no timeframe was disclosed for the shows.

As part of the deal, main-card bouts will continue to air on Showtime, and preliminary-card fights now will be broadcast on sister channel Showtime Extreme.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Officials suggested that events no longer will be held under the Strikeforce Challengers brand.

The deal kicks off with the Jan. 7 "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine" event in Las Vegas, so all fights (prelims and main card) from the card will be televised in some form. Additionally, the event takes place during one of Showtime's free-preview weekends, which makes the channel available for free to more than 60 million households.

As part of the announcement, officials stated that current Strikeforce fighters – including champions Gilbert Melendez, Luke Rochhold, Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos and Miesha Tate – will remain in Strikeforce. (Recently, some champions such as Nick Diaz, Dan Henderson and Alistair Overeem had been folded into the Zuffa-owned UFC.)

"Since its advent on Showtime in 2007, live mixed martial arts has always performed well with our subscribers, particularly in the younger demographics," Showtime executive Stephen Espinoza stated. "As the one and only premium network in the MMA business, we are proud to renew our commitment to the sport and to our partners at Strikeforce. This agreement ensures that we can continue to deliver the edge-of-your-seat programming that each live MMA event produces in the new year and beyond."

UFC president Dana White echoed those sentiments.

"We're excited about this renewal with Showtime, and I expect to put on some big Strikeforce events next year," White stated. "I never thought I would say this, but I am very much looking forward to building Strikeforce and working very closely with Showtime."

Stay tuned to MMAjunkie.com for more on this story.

King Mo?

http://www.mmafighting.com/2012/01/06/muhammed-lawal-re-signs-with-strikeforce/

"The King" will continue to reign in Strikeforce after all.

Muhammed Lawal, who meets Lorenz Larkin at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine Saturday night, has signed a new four-fight contract with Strikeforce, according to Lawal's manager Mike Kogan.

Lawal had one fight left on his current contract, so this assures that he will fight in Strikeforce for at least five more fights. This also means that Lawal won't be moving over to the UFC any time soon.

Lawal (8-1) is 3-1 in Strikeforce. He recently defeated Roger Gracie in September to get back on track following his light heavyweight title loss to Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante in Aug. 2010.

He recently retracted his "cancer patient" comments about Strikeforce on a recent episode of The MMA Hour and left the door open for a return to the organization.

"I've got one more fight on my contract and then my contract ends in February," Lawal said. "King Mo just wants to go where he can get paid and get paid without the check bouncing."

Done and done.

Also King Mo just got popped for steroids and he's facing a 1 year suspension. He's probably not fighting for anyone anytime soon.

Gilbert Melendez also staying Strikeforce:

http://mmajunkie.com/news/26408/str...ts-to-few-challenges-after-jorge-masvidal.mma

The heavyweights are all going to UFC once the tournament finishes up. According to Coker, what they want to do is finish the tournament, do one more heavyweight fight and then the heavyweights will move to the UFC. That's the plan. The rest of the Strikeforce guys are staying in Strikeforce until their current deals expire and they try to re-negotiate.

I interviewed Melendez before the Kawajiri last year. He has about 3-4 more fights left on his current Strikeforce deal. So his next few fight is not going to be in the UFC. His next few fights are going to be in Strikeforce.

Please. I'll be shocked if Strikeforce isn't dissolved by the midpoint of this year -- assuming the FTC doesn't carry out a smackdown.

Their deal is for 8 events this year. They had one in January and they having another in March. So I doubt that's happening.

I'll take your bet though DoomsdayApex. Since you are so sure. Let's make a signature bet. If Strikeforce is dissolved by the end of June of this year, I will change my sig to whatever you may want provided it doesn't break any site rules. If Strikeforce fulfills all the events of it's deal through this year, same for me.

But my basic point is this, according to you, Strikeforce already should've been dissolved by this point. They fulfilled all the fights of the previous deal. They made a new deal they have already started. So your argument has basically already failed already.

I agree with you here. What the NCAA is doing is outrageous. I'm disgusted by it and there's no excuse for it.

Just shows how pathetic FTC is that they let this go unchecked. ESPN as well. By every indication UFC pays their fighters and they don't try to cut and run with the money. NCAA is basically enslaving and profiting off the work of their college athletes. The media and FTC says and does NOTHING.

Hey, nothing wrong with that (extra money is always a great thing), but there are fighters who don't wish to sign over their personality and I believe they have that right to say 'no' and keep their jobs.

Once again, it is not their personality but just their likeness as a UFC fighter. Makes sense to me. UFC wants exclusivity on their roster and probably doesn't want their fighters on a competitor's game. I imagine WWE does the same thing with their toys and videogames. While they are working with those fighters, they want them exclusively to be WWE superstars. They all clearly haven't signed all their likeness rights over. Rampage had action figures and merchandise made in his image from The A-Team. It's their likeness rights as MMA fighters and they are getting residuals from them.

I doubt Sean McCorkle is *****ing about being included in UFC Undisputed 3.

Dana White has banned a few journalists from attending live shows, weigh-ins, and other events such as the Expo. The most famous case was Loretta Hunt from Sherdog. Loretta was still allowed to purchase tickets but she was not permitted to do anything as a journalist.

Last time I checked that's not illegal or against the rules. Loretta Hunt did some phony reporting and that's why UFC got upset with her. Josh Gross revealed and spoiled the winners of TUF The Comeback season.

As a reporter I constantly work under embargoes. I am not as a reporter entitled to go to early screenings or the events I constantly and frequently get invited to. And sometimes I have to sign NDA forms or agree not to publish certain items until the embargo is lifted or a certain time frame. Now could I disobey them? Yep. But that would make me a jerk to violate and reveal such privileged information that someone like Josh Gross was likely given. Now if I were to violate the embargoes or agreements I make with the companies by going to these events, they have every right not to invite me back.

If Sony doesn't invite me to Amazing Spider-Man for an early screening or premiere, that means I have to do it the old fashioned way. Buy a ticket, see the movie, and write a review. When I saw Captain America early, Paramount invited me to see the movie on their studio lot for free. But by doing so, I had to agree to hold my review to publish for a certain time. That is fine because they allowed me access to see the movie early to give me time to do a thought out write-up before the movie comes out. But once again, no company is under any obligation to continue accommodating me if I were to violate the terms or embargo.

Loretta Hunt and Josh Gross should've picked their battles more carefully and thought about the consequences. And if they did, then they should be willing to deal with the hand they were dealt.

I've seen her participating in media events for the UFC nowadays but who knows what she had to do to get back into Dana's good graces.

Maybe she you know apologized and agreed not to mess up again? That usually works. It worked for Miguel Torres.

However, when I covered UFC events, I did not see her there.

No.

Banning or blacklisting a writer for disagreeing with your views is not 'awful' or mediocre just because you say so. It's Freedom of the Press buddy.

Freedom of the Press does not = free UFC tickets. Press looks free to me buddy. Freedom of the press does not mean all journalists are entitled to get free accommodations by the UFC.

For instance, Ariel could easily debate with Dana on his show but he lays back and takes a tongue lashing because he knows exactly what would happen if he were to call Dana out.

Ariel Helwani is always asking the questions fans are asking and is always front and center asking Dana White tough questions. You say this but then look at this:

[YT]GeTwqlAq2Yg[/YT]

Ariel Helwani gets the first interview with Dana White after Miguel Torres got briefly fired. And here I see Helwani asking White why Torres got fired and addresses why Evans and Griffin were not fired or punished after making similar comments. He asks if there needs to be a code of conduct clause in the UFC. To me he easily challenges Dana White here on many questions.

IMHO, it is not a reporter's job to fight or debate the subject. When I interviewed Kurt Angle, I calmly asked him about some controversial subjects however if I tried to corner him or confront him, the subject can tell you are doing that. And when that happens you don't get anywhere. To me the answers are more revealing when you aren't trying to blatantly "confront" them.

Also last time I checked, Ariel Helwani is an award winning journalist. And that's from fan votes NOT Dana White.

In fact, you should check out their epic 'Fedor' showdown. It's the only time Ariel debates (if you can call it that) with Dana White -- regarding Fedor's rank.

I've seen it. Ariel makes his case, and Dana White makes his case in true Dana White fashion. And last time I checked, Ariel didn't really change his stance either and because of this Ariel wasn't blacklisted either.

 

[CrypticOne]

Man, Guillard sucks. Does he not work on his ground game or what?! 70 fights with no ground game? Ridiculous. He needs to go to Brazil and learn some BJJ. Yes, Guillard we know you have good stand-up, but that's it. When the fight hits the ground it's over for you! Good win for Miller though.

Same thing with Ludwig. GO TO BRAZIL! Learn some BJJ already.

Can't wait 'til this weekend for the UFC on FOX 2 card.

 

[Project862006]

^to be fair miller and neer are bjj black belts but this is the 15th sub loss combined between ludwig and guillard lol