# The state of mma today



## Headhunter (May 8, 2017)

So I don't religiously follow mma anymore so I logged onto my twitter today and all the mma pages feature fighters whining about something or another. Mainly money or title shots or whatever. These days we're hearing more about fighters whining than them fighting.

Now sure they could get paid more but lets be honest the pays not that bad anyway. Say a guy makes 10 grand a fight and fights 3 times a year that's 30 grand that's way more than some make in a year. Also if they don't like the pay don't sign the contract it's as simple as that. It's stupid to sign a contract then complain.

I just feel like the sport is seriously going downhill. We've got a champion in 2 weight classes who's refusing to defend a belt because he wants to box. We've got a formally retired welterweight fighting for the middleweight title. We've got a women's division with no fighters apart from the champion. For me I enjoy bellator a lot more than ufc these days they put on good shows and have kickboxing added in as well.

I do believe the ufc will be gone in a few years.


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## Paul_D (May 8, 2017)

Don't forget the champion who was stripped of his title for a hit and run, then wins his title back only to be stripped of it again for being a drug cheat, and is now being allowed back to fight for the title again. 

I would say the UFC gets more like the WWE every year, but at least the WWE invents its ridiculous storylines lol.

At the moment I can't see anyone keeping me interested in watching it once Bisping retires.


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## drop bear (May 8, 2017)

Payouts! Diaz Makes Measly $30k For Maynard TKO


UFC people get paid more for loosing than winning depending on their brand. The issue is where UFC is THE show. They make the rules. Which is kind of crap.

Professional fighting is an expensive hobby at an elite level. If we want to see elite fighters. Then they should be recompensed.


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## Headhunter (May 8, 2017)

Paul_D said:


> Don't forget the champion who was stripped of his title for a hit and run, then wins his title back only to be stripped of it again for being a drug cheat, and is now being allowed back to fight for the title again.
> 
> I would say the UFC gets more like the WWE every year, but at least the WWE invents its ridiculous storylines lol.
> 
> At the moment I can't see anyone keeping me interested in watching it once Bisping retires.


Oh yeah and claiming it was for dick pills....then all the other stuff with fighters failing drug tests. To me if you take drugs for fighting you're a coward plain and simple. You're scared that your ability isn't good enough so need extra help.

I love bisping he's a great fighter. He's very exciting and fights his heart out every time. People hate him because he's cocky. Well yeah he is but so is mcgreggor but for some reason he's loved. People hate on bisping for fighting Henderson and gsp well A: at least he's actually defending his title and B) blame the ufc for that not him he fights who he's told to fight.

Even TUF has dried up look at this series a bunch of TUF rejects bought back. The ufc is really drying up and it's a shame but I do believe it'll be gone soon. Frank shamrock said recently he reckons the fertitas sold up just in time and I agree


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## Andrew Green (May 8, 2017)

I will agree that fighters lately have realized that having a big mouth gets you media attention, which gets you bigger pay cheques.



Headhunter said:


> Now sure they could get paid more but lets be honest the pays not that bad anyway. Say a guy makes 10 grand a fight and fights 3 times a year that's 30 grand that's way more than some make in a year. Also if they don't like the pay don't sign the contract it's as simple as that. It's stupid to sign a contract then complain.



But this is not reality.  If a fighter makes $10,000 in a fight they don't take home $10,000.  Fighting, despite being a individual event is a team effort, and their team is going to get a cut of that money.  Training costs are high, they have coaches, managers, corner men and sometimes even sparring partners that are brought in and paid to help them prep.

It's also career that has a very short life span and comes with lots of risk and little carry over into other careers when they retire from fighting, which happens far younger then other careers.  

So after a 10 year run, which would be pretty long in combat sports, they are out and have little to know skills that translate into other careers.  Likely some injuries that will be with them the rest of their life and possibly some killed off brain cells from getting hit in the head.  Not to mention the first 5 years of that career they where making a few 100 a fight in local circuits.  

The pay for fighters sucks, unless you can headline big events you are going to likely retire with little money in the bank and not much for career applicable skills.  

Some fighters use fighting as a spring board into other things.  Guys like Alan Belcher, never quite made it to the top but turned to business and running schools and a $10,000 fight probably wouldn't even be worth his time.  Same as in other sports, even at the top levels.  I guarantee Michael Jordan made more money selling shoes then he did playing basketball.

But in the end, pro fighting is a poor career choice when it comes to movey for the majority of fighters.


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## CB Jones (May 8, 2017)

Andrew Green said:


> I will agree that fighters lately have realized that having a big mouth gets you media attention, which gets you bigger pay cheques.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Also, often times aren't their payouts over time instead of lump sum?


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## Brmty2002 (May 8, 2017)

at least it isn't as bad as WWE...


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## Tez3 (May 9, 2017)

Headhunter said:


> Say a guy makes 10 grand a fight and fights 3 times a year that's 30 grand that's way more than some make in a year.



I think really your thread is about the UFC rather than MMA. The majority of fighters who fight for purses outside the UFC het under a thousand pound a fight, mostly it's about £800, and they will if they are lucky get that once or twice a year because the majority of fighters are outside the UFC. The majority of fighters still work their day job, they can't afford to give up work to fight full time.





Headhunter said:


> I love bisping he's a great fighter. He's very exciting and fights his heart out every time.



In the UK people will 'support' Bisping when he's fighting a foreign fighter but he's know not for being 'cocky' but for being arrogant and treating people badly. He had his pro debut on our promotion and was frankly rubbish, he fought one of our fighters who just wanted a fight after surviving cancer. He was insufferable at the fight and most afterwards despite the fact his first few fights were against picked opponents. Yes I'm sure he's doing well now he's in the US but he's still a disliked person by those that know him. McGregor on the other hand knows the value of publicity and is actually a genuine person in real life.


There are plenty of exciting fighters and good promotions around, you just have to actually go out and support them rather than just watch what the television companies want you to watch. The sport is better than ever.


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## Headhunter (May 9, 2017)

Tez3 said:


> I think really your thread is about the UFC rather than MMA. The majority of fighters who fight for purses outside the UFC het under a thousand pound a fight, mostly it's about £800, and they will if they are lucky get that once or twice a year because the majority of fighters are outside the UFC. The majority of fighters still work their day job, they can't afford to give up work to fight full time.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yes yes we all heard this story before


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## Tez3 (May 9, 2017)

Headhunter said:


> Yes yes we all heard this story before



Well if you took the time to actually notice the new posters?  we've heard yours before as well but are still answering politely despite the fact you are slagging off *ALL* MMA instead of just addressing what you think is the problem. I assume you got out of the wrong side of the bed today.


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## Paul_D (May 9, 2017)

Brmty2002 said:


> at least it isn't as bad as WWE...


Yet


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## marques (May 9, 2017)

Headhunter said:


> Also if they don't like the pay don't sign the contract it's as simple as that. It's stupid to sign a contract then complain.
> 
> I do believe the ufc will be gone in a few years.


Make sense. But generally speaking fighters still want UFC, rather than others with lower status (that pay less usually). They complain because it seems there are (variable) extras. And new contract to do in the future.

Well, I think they will find a way to make profit after a 4 billion investment.

Anyway, you understood the big picture instantly.


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## Headhunter (May 9, 2017)

marques said:


> Make sense. But generally speaking fighters still want UFC, rather than others with lower status (that pay less usually). They complain because it seems there are (variable) extras. And new contract to do in the future.
> 
> Well, I think they will find a way to make profit after a 4 billion investment.
> 
> Anyway, you understood the big picture instantly.


Well there's been a large number of fighters choosing to leave the ufc to fight in bellator because they get more money from them


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## Tez3 (May 9, 2017)

Headhunter said:


> Well there's been a large number of fighters choosing to leave the ufc to fight in bellator because they get more money from them



Makes sense, no one company will keep a monopoly for ever, other companies will catch up eventually then the market will be saturated and perhaps the whole MMA thing will die. I hope not, I enjoy it at the level I work in. We have some good promotions in the UK and Europe, entertaining shows and good fighters not as much as the UFC and now and again a fighter gets picked by them or Bellator. The grassroots of MMA is thriving and healthy, people are training, fighting/not fighting and enjoying what they do, they get fit, confident, able to look after themselves better and that is the real value of MMA.


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## Headhunter (May 13, 2017)

Dear god saw the press conference from last night. Proves how much of a joke it's become. Yeah yeah it sells tickets but it's just embarrassing. Guys brawling over mentioning the guys mum (not even insulting her) guys bragging about doing cocaine, water bottles being thrown, insulting people's kids....it's things like this that makes people think it's a thug sport


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## Brian R. VanCise (May 13, 2017)

MMA has never been better.  Better athletes, better conditioning, better coaching, more money, better drug testing, etc, etc.  For the viewer there are more fights from more organizations and complementary shows that allow you to learn about the fighters.  This sport has come a long, long way from the early days and will continue to improve over time.  Are there problems?  Sure.  However, this sport is better now than ever before!


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## Headhunter (May 13, 2017)

Brian R. VanCise said:


> MMA has never been better.  Better athletes, better conditioning, better coaching, more money, better drug testing, etc, etc.  For the viewer there are more fights from more organizations and complementary shows that allow you to learn about the fighters.  This sport has come a long, long way from the early days and will continue to improve over time.  Are there problems?  Sure.  However, this sport is better now than ever before!


More money? Fighters in the ufc are making way less because of this reebok deal that's why so many are either leaving for other places or just retiring


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## Brian R. VanCise (May 13, 2017)

More money over all.  Some UFC fighter's are making a lot and I mean a lot more money than their predecessors.  It is not even close.  Then you have some in the mid range still making more.  Not to mention all of the other events that are paying mma fighters to fight for them.  Some even drawing UFC fighter's away with large contracts.  The money in the sport has never been this good!


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## Steve (May 13, 2017)

Overall, I agree completely with Brian.  I do not think the monopoly that the UFC has is healthy.  I really think that, like the NFL, the NBA and MLB, the fighters in the UFC should organize and operate under a CBA that is negotiated with the help of a fighter's guild/union. 

There is plenty of money to be made in MMA, and a collective bargaining agreement would benefit everyone, most importantly the fighters.  This would set salary levels, insurance coverage, possibly even establish some kind of retirement system.  If the UFC wants to be considered the NFL of MMA, they need to treat the fighters better.


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## JP3 (May 13, 2017)

Headhunter said:


> I do believe the ufc will be gone in a few years.



I think the UFC's promotion/pay mechanism will be changed up a lot in a few years, but I think it'll still be around.


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## Buka (May 13, 2017)

Do I notice a prejudice against the UFC from certain areas of the world?

Nah!


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## Danny T (May 14, 2017)

The UFC is but a part of MMA...it is the most visible but is still only a part of MMA. Because it is the most visible fighters do want to be a part of the UFC. Post UFC, the fighters make more money because they capitalize on being a UFC Veteran. 

Overall, professional MMA fighters make more money today than in the early days and the pay, though still  lower than it should be, is getting much better. The big money is in pay per view and endorsements.


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## JP3 (May 14, 2017)

Danny T said:


> The UFC is but a part of MMA...it is the most visible but is still only a part of MMA. Because it is the most visible fighters do want to be a part of the UFC. Post UFC, the fighters make more money because they capitalize on being a UFC Veteran.
> 
> Overall, professional MMA fighters make more money today than in the early days and the pay, though still  lower than it should be, is getting much better. The big money is in pay per view and endorsements.


Do you see a change coming so that MMA/UFC in the US turns more towards the pro-boxing model, then?

There's two competing things here. First, the top guys want to get paid as Top Guys; but the other end, the hungry young guys just want to fight so that they can get up there to be one of the Top Guys.

Top Guys want to hold out for big bucks, but young & hungry guys will fight, literally for nothing in the beginning. There is some good TV in watching the undercard quite often.


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## Danny T (May 14, 2017)

There are numerous MMA promotions which use more of the boxing model as for rankings however, there are no real standards. Promoters spend a lot less money on promoting...the model is to have the fighters do most of the tickets selling. Promoters send the fighter the tickets, the fighter sells the tickets, and turns the money in to the promoter and receives a portion of the sales. This adds to the fighter pay and greatly reduces promotion cost to the promoter. The fighters like the extra $$$ which sometimes is greater then the fight pay. At the lower levels a fighter can go to any promotion to get a fight 'if' he sells tickets. That fighter wins a couple of fights, sells a lot of tickets for the promotor/s, so they give him a title fight. Championship fights aren't by who is best fighter but by who sells. 

At the top of the food chain is The UFC promotion which is the worse. Here is where a 7th ranked fighter can get a title fight by beating a 10th ranked fighter. ???


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## Skullpunch (May 14, 2017)

As opposed to what?  The good ole days of mma where the Yakuza controlled the world's biggest promotion and fighters wore "condom depot" logos across their *** in order to make enough sponsorship money to pay rent?  The NFL, where rapists and dog fighters get fined pocket change and go right back onto the field and running over 2000 yards gets you a "get out of jail free" card for murdering your wife?  Boxing and/or soccer, where.....holy fukk where do I even begin with those two?

If you don't like the UFC today then no big, but if what you describe is what makes it not deserve to exist for more than a few more years then I'd say most sports altogether need to disappear.


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## drop bear (May 14, 2017)

Skullpunch said:


> As opposed to what?  The good ole days of mma where the Yakuza controlled the world's biggest promotion and fighters wore "condom depot" logos across their *** in order to make enough sponsorship money to pay rent?  The NFL, where rapists and dog fighters get fined pocket change and go right back onto the field and running over 2000 yards gets you a "get out of jail free" card for murdering your wife?  Boxing and/or soccer, where.....holy fukk where do I even begin with those two?
> 
> If you don't like the UFC today then no big, but if what you describe is what makes it not deserve to exist for more than a few more years then I'd say most sports altogether need to disappear.



Pride freak fights.


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