Terms of Use The least a UFC fighter can now make for a bout is $10,000 to show, and another $10,000 to win. Bisping’s last box office opponent, Georges St-Pierre , is just behind the Brit on £5.4m. Assuming revenue and fighter pay follow the trendlines laid out in its document and the public domain, UFC fighters take home 15.6 percent of the revenue pie. Usman, 33, and Masvidal, 36, sold 1.3million pay-per-views after their UFC 251 headliner. “I lived in my mom’s garage and I had two jobs when I was fighting in the UFC. Poirier, 31, was among three fighters to earn a six-figure paycheck. Finances: Dana White, and the UFC’s locker room bonuses, UFC reportedly taking $300 million dividend to pay company owners, Dustin Poirier Black Authentic Walkout Jersey. Champions receive $40,000, the report said. “I didn’t get PPV money. Nelly lists abandoned mansion on Zillow, 2 restaurant workers found dead in supply closet, Why Sia's new 'Music' movie is offensively bad, Golden Globe nods or not. UFC's Donald Cerrone (right, kicking Conor McGregor during their fight last month) took to Instagram to grumble about his pay. The deal meant fighters could no longer advertise their own sponsors in the octagon — a practice that had previously been helping to pay the bills. What the world thinks and what really happens is so different. “I went to China as asked and the show didn’t even get shot for a week.”. Your Ad Choices For the higher end pay scale, the amount varies considerably dependent on the fighters record and ‘value’ in terms of attraction and PPV … Rich Franklin knocked him out in one round. The UFC denied his request, saying they had to start taping immediately, Le said. What do we know about the UFC's finances? 17,993, This story has been shared 4,804 times. And when he asked for more, White told him he had to accept it or would “be sitting on the bench,” Le said. “Hahahahah 7-10 million,” Cerrone responded to a follower on Instagram. The UFC controls and dominates the sport. Based on available information it was estimated that UFC fighters were paid an average of $141k in 2018 (excluding bonuses and … Fighters had been receiving $8,000 to show and $8,000 more if they got their hand raised. After the championship bout, Quarry was diagnosed with a degenerative disc disease from fighting. The UFC also put The Post in touch with Cerrone’s manager, Josh Jones, vice president of sports marketing and entertainment firm KHI Management, who said Cerrone “got compensated tremendously. Tito Ortiz. Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell — the CEO and executive chairman, respectively, of Endeavor, the Hollywood entertainment conglomerate that owns half of UFC — are also getting more than $3 million each from the $300 million dividend. We believe that these MMA fighters will continue to entertain us for a long period of time. If the judge rules against the fighters, it will likely kill the suit. With fighter pay becoming a hot topic recently, the UFC president responded to criticism Monday afternoon. Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). “I went to China as asked and the show didn’t even get shot for a week,” he added. Quarry told White he had no money, and White said the UFC would pay. With all those additional extras, there is no doubt that Vitor Belfort was able to make a fantastic living from his MMA career, which isn't surprising for someone who … The live gate for the fight card, $677,999.50 was the first time a PPV card fell below $2 million for an announced live gate in 2017. UFC tried to justify low purses being paid to fighters. By contrast, the fighters call the UFC’s payments “flat money,” because there’s no upside for them, even if their fights help make UFC rich. (Twelve of those wins are wins by knockout, as well.) More and more people watch this sport. This means you get $10K for losing and $20K for winning. Here he lost the Middleweight Title to the returning Georges St-Pierre. The New York Post has since followed up on their report, citing fighter’s complaints about their low purses and how more money should be given to them and not just the owners. Ufc 248 • Who is the lowest paid UFC fighter?-----The most important part of our job is creating informational content. Chuck Liddell’s net worth is estimated to be $14 million. As a hugely successful year for the UFC draws to a close, it’s time to reveal who the highest paid stars were in the Octagon in 2016. And when he asked for more, White told him he had to accept it or would “be sitting on the bench,” Le said. After expenses, including a trainer, he was left with $5,000. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. The gap between number 2 and number 3 seems just as wide as that between the top two. On the previous report from The New York Post, their sources had financial numbers that showed the UFC only gave fighters less than 16% share of their $900 million revenue for the year. He fought 29 times in the company. As The Post reported earlier this month, roughly $300 million — the lion’s share of UFC’s $350 million cash reserve — is going to one-time dividend payments to the company’s star-studded list of investors, which includes actor and producer Mark Wahlberg, actress Charlize Theron and model Gisele Bündchen. At one point between shows, Le’s wife needed surgery and he asked to “spend a few days with her” before being shipped off to China for the next round of taping, he said. “That was a life-changer. [1] Minimum pay in WNBA is $37,950 for the year. According to a 2012 report by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, White tipped dealers more than $100,000 during a two-month hot streak at Vegas’ Palms Casino Resort. 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Even compared to a similar combat sport, boxers normally take home the lion’s share of the event revenue, while their promoters get far less. ‘The Count’s biggest payday came at UFC 217. Even in the UFC the starting base salary is surprisingly low for the effort, skill, and dedication that is required. “A fighter with heart will almost always win out against a fighter with skill but no will.” – Chuck Liddell . Canadian reporter Adam Martin recently confirmed the pay bump with a manager whose client competes in the UFC. Fighters also claim they have been told to play along with the UFC’s rules or be blacklisted. They have the most money, the most fighters, and majority of the absolute best athletes in MMA, so naturally, they would be paying “more” in total compared to other MMA promotions. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. While it is true that the UFC pays more than other MMA promotions, that actually isn’t a big achievement, as no one else really comes close to how massive the UFC is. All these fighters are well-known across the globe and they have created a name for themselves. Chuck Liddell is an American retired MMA fighter and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. The era of popular trash talkers who leave their heart inside the octagon has arrived. UFC results and live fight coverage Stay up to date with the latest UFC results from events around the globe. Jacob … Kingsbury is one of three former fighters currently seeking class-action status for a lawsuit that accuses the cage-fighting empire of engaging in anticompetitive practices to drive down their pay, including forcing fighters into long-term, exclusive contracts. Due to these true legends, the UFC has gained lots of popularity and gained lots of viewers over the past decade. Other fighters have not been so lucky. Despite White’s previous claims that they’re on par with those other sports when it comes to athlete compensation, they don’t give fighters anywhere close to that percentage. The heavyweight fighter made his debut against Fabricio Werdum, winning by knockout in what was considered to be a major upset. I was a personal trainer and a bouncer [and] bartender in a strip club.”. The manager said the 6-foot fighter was “paid in many different ways,” including through UFC’s sponsor Reebok, but offered no details. That’s not the case with the UFC. Multiple times more than $200,000, a lot more than $200,000.”. Here’s another previous comparison of revenues from Nash: If we add Bellator and their projected $80 million last year and the PFL, then the three major MMA promotions combined for $1 billion in revenue, with the UFC being responsible for 90% of it. Privacy Notice The first part, is that most local promoters run on a shoe string and can’t afford to pay much. 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. [2] According to payout information on MMA Manifesto [3] Liz Carmouche vs Ronda Rousey, UFC 157 [4] The forest and the Trees, Bloody Elbow Your California Privacy Rights Bed Bath & Beyond offers 25% off for their storage and organization sale, Pixels is changing the way artists sell their work online, Coach's new Champion collection will take your athleisure style to new levels, 7 Doc Marten dupes that will get you more boot for your buck, 7 best disposable face masks for COVID-19, according to medical experts, Dad jumps for joy finding out his daughter is cancer-free. The former UFC middleweight champion headlined four PPV’s for the company. Bloody Elbow’s business analyst John Nash previously crunched the numbers and broke down the stark difference between these “competitors”: Even when comparing Bellator’s best year for revenue, 2014, with only Zuffa’s North American event revenue that same year, the Viacom owned promotion still generated less than 1/10th that of the UFC. White, who has been running UFC since 2001, is on track to receive more than $3 million from the windfall, sources told The Post. So if we’re talking about just actual fighter purses, then it’s even less than percentage. “I heard about Dana tipping a waitress $10,000 and that was my wage as a fighter,” said former UFC fighter Kyle Kingsbury. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. The report also notes how UFC made fighters “play along” under the threats of being “blacklisted.”, Cung Le says he was paid $5,000 for every episode in which he was the coach in the TV show “The Ultimate Fighter: China.”. Here, Sportsmail list the top ten highest-earning athletes in the history of the UFC. The UFC is a sporting phenomenon that moves tons of money around and its main fighters are real celebrities with incredible paycheques. The UFC spokesperson denied that Cerrone received only $200,000 to fight McGregor, who made at least $3 million from the fight, but declined to provide specifics. 11. Net Worth: $15 Million. In June of 2016 the low end contracted pay for UFC fighters transitioned from 8K to Show/8K to Win to 10K to Show/10K to Win. UFC participants are among some of the top-ranked fighters in the world, as they have typically mastered the 5,000-year-old art of MMA. “But if I was paid more as a fighter, I wouldn’t have to ask for help.”. I made flat money.”. 4,804, This story has been shared 2,726 times. Former fighters at the Ultimate Fighting Championship are fuming over multimillion-dollar payments recently handed out to the league’s rich and famous investors. This Reebok sponsorship pay is minuscule, and it can range from $3,500 per fight to $40,000, according to the MMA Guru. Endeavor officials have denied that the UFC dividend has anything to do with the failed IPO. But fighters say compensation from corporate sponsorships has been severely crimped since UFC cut a six-year sponsorship deal beginning in 2015 with Reebok for $70 million. This list will reveal the best-paid UFC fighters … the stark difference between these “competitors”: 44.7% of the revenue up until 2016, and is expected to be “around 50%”, on par with those other sports when it comes to athlete compensation, UFC’s own projections had “athlete costs” to be just around 17% of their revenue, What we now know about the UFC’s finances, Lawsuit documents reveal more details on UFC’s business, fighter pay, Zuffa Finances: The economics of a UFC event. “That’s the hypocrisy of the whole thing. Meanwhile, the money that fighters receive to step into the ring is often eaten away by expenses, as ex-fighter Nate Quarry explained, using as an example his 2005 fight for the UFC middleweight championship at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. That’s sticking in the craw of former UFC fighters suing the company, who note White’s reputation for lavish spending. A main target of their ire is UFC’s president, Dana White, a hulking, 50-year-old former boxer whose generous tipping habits have reportedly “changed people’s lives.”. The fighter earned his first 6 figure payday in his 9th fight. Fighters with 1-3 bouts … However, his … 7 Kyle Kingsbury mentioned how Dana White generously tips as high as $100,000 but fails to pay their own fighters. After losing a bout to Conor “Irishman” McGregor in less than a minute in January, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone revealed that he didn’t get a dime more than the $200,000 he was promised in his contract. Thanks for contacting us. Machida left the UFC in 2018, but still features high up the list of highest-paid fighters. Fighters complain that UFC restricts their ability to make money in other ways, including by keeping the lion’s share of the pay-per-view revenues — unlike boxing, which often promises the vast majority of pay-TV revenues to the purse, or prize money given to the fighters. From June 2016 the standard lower pay scale for a UFC fighter is 10K to Show and 10K to Win per fight. Sitemap “UFC pays its fighters more than any other MMA promoter,” a UFC spokesperson told The Post. White urged him to get the surgery done in Vegas, where the doctors are top-notch. UFC has argued in court papers that the ex-fighters’ anti-competitive claims are bogus — and that even if they were valid it would be an issue for the Federal Trade Commission, not a jury. It was at UFC 100 where Dan Henderson knocked him out. In exchange for wearing Reebok gear, fighters under the new deal are paid on a tiered system starting at $2,500, according to ESPN. ‘The Count’ joined the UFC in 2006 and earned $20,000 for his first fight. At one point between shows, Le’s wife needed surgery and he asked to “spend a few days with her” before being shipped off to China for the next round of taping, he said. “I’m the main event,” Quarry said.