Wladimir Klitschko Wants To Learn MMA

Yeah, I don't watch enough ESPN (we don't have it up here) to be able to speak to their quality of journalism. It would be shocking if they were lying.

Still, the point stands that a lot of these guys might be worried about speaking out. The lack of public bitching doesn't say anything to me, but I can only speak for myself.

 

I think that is fair. It would be naive to think that no one on the UFC roster is unhappy.

In a company this size, there is always someone who is pissed. That doesn't shock me.

 

You guys (Trplsec and Anthony) can't even acknowledge that the fighters could be underpaid. Pathetic.

You do realize that employees or more accurately, independent contractors, are entitled to get paid regardless of whether or not the employer makes money. There isn't a requirement that the employer must make a profit before workers are entitled to getting paid. That's a factor to argue for how much is appropriate, but far less of a factor for discussing how little is appropriate.

Unless you are a shill.

 

This is the most pointless drival you've posted yet.

Yes, the UFC has to pay contracted wages whether they make a profit or not.. So fucking what? The model doesn't work long if the UFC isn't profitable.

 

Just admit that there is a level of pay that is too low. You can still be a shill even if you acknowledge this point. Or are you really saying that employees shouldn't be paid until the employer shows a profit?

 

Sure, so why can't you answer the question?

 

Man, I feel like a complete moron. I've been debating back and forth with someone that has absolutely no idea about business.

Again, someone paraphrase what I'm saying here if I am using complicated wording:

I HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH UFC FIGHTERS SHOULD BE PAID AS I DO NOT KNOW THE FINANCIALS OF THE UFC

How could I possibly sit down with a Anderson Silva tomorrow and negotiate a new 3 fight contract if I have no idea about the UFC's financial situation?

But Mike, let's hear your opinion. Tomorrow morning you're sitting down with Silva to negotiate a new 3 fight contract. You represent the UFC. What are you offering?

I will bet that question doesn't get answered directly.

 

You guys are using ignorance as a justification for being dense. You are ignoring what we all do know...the UFC is raking in tons of money, but because we don't know exactly how much it is raking in, we are completely paralyzed to discuss fighters' salaries.

"Oh, but we don't know the UFC is raking in tons of money because they are a private company and no one knows exactly how much they are making."

My question was really fucking simple and yet you can't even admit that there is a point where the UFC could be screwing their employees.

Answer my question first. I can answer yours.

 

You two are like UFC robots who are programmed to admit nothing bad about the UFC. Hell, your programming doesn't even let you admit that the UFC could be doing something wrong.

After you check with your superiors and find out if you can even acknowledge that there is a point where the UFC could be screwing its fighters, I have no doubt that they will install new programming to insure you do no more than that.

 

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

"the company purchased rival Strikeforce in March for $34 million"

"Recently, the UFC inked a seven-year deal worth a reported $100 million annually with FOX"

"
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."

"
"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."

"
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."

Gee, I wonder why?

Just use those numbers, robots.

"According to a May 2010 "Standard and Poor's" report, 75 percent of the UFC's revenue comes from live pay-per-view events. "

"
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."

"
"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."

"
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."

 

What utter bullshit. If the UFC or Dana White does something wrong, I will verbally rip them a new asshole on here. I have zero ties to the UFC. I enjoy their product. Period.

Let's just take the gloves off. The problem is that you're a very simple, dolt that really speaks without any factual basis for your argument. You are sure the UFC is doing something wrong because they are growing as a company yet none of their fighters is reporting huge paydays or throwing around cash like Floyd Mayweather.

The truth is that you are being 100 times more dense than Anthony or me. We simply admit we DON'T KNOW how much the UFC can or cannot pay their fighters because we don't know all the details on either the expense or revenue side of the ledger for the UFC.

Hell, maybe they're paying their fighters TOO MUCH. Maybe they are paying too little. I don't know. And as I've said multiple times, if the fighters aren't complaining and the product is still fantastic, who am I to argue one way or the other. Or you for that matter.

 

I'll take this as an acknowledgement that you believe the UFC actually can pay too little. Why was that so hard to just admit when I asked?

btw, the fighters aren't complaining because ...well, read the article...they are complaining off the record. Hmmmm.

Anthony just wants to accept the bullshit that Dana and Lorenzo spout without considering the other (way more likely and reasonable, imo) side.

 

oh, and just for my info, when exactly did you "rip" the UFC? Was it for a bad headliner? Letting juicers off too easy?

 

Off the record sources are important though. An integral part of good journalism. It would be a betrayal of the highest order if ESPN was lying about that shit. Crazy to think about.

 

Of course they aren't lying about it.

Are they editing the story to fit an agenda? Different question, but Anthony wants to just dismiss everything against the UFC because he's a shill.

 

You claimed that fighters may not have complained about the UFC off the record. That's just a bullshit, I-have-a-UFC-banner-stuck-in-my-butthole claim. To even make such a stupid claim demonstrates your bias in spades.

 

not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased: an objective opinion.

nice.

Says the guy who implies there is an equal chance that ESPN is lying about fighters bitching about pay, who ignores the evidence against the UFC by hoping beyond hope that they can justify what they are doing when the 'facts' come out--that there can be some possible justification for it because despite what we do know..there is a speck of possibility that what we don't know will turn the tide 180 degrees and overcome everything we do know.

That's being objective, alright.