Comments on: Tuesday turmoil: Mainstream media questions if Liddell was all hype and no substance

By: Zack

Zack — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 06:00:57 +0000

Lossed?

By: The Gaijin

The Gaijin — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 03:27:49 +0000

“Until a few years ago, mixed martial arts fighters sometimes fought literally to the death. … With those tiny ‘gloves’ shaped like black, leather knuckledusters, the damage in UFC is 10 times worse than anything a boxer could dish out. It is licensed thuggery.”

I cannot believe people get away with writing this utterly tripe and completely false bullshit!

By: The Gaijin

The Gaijin — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 03:24:59 +0000

45:

But no other sport attempts to claim their fighters are being paid a lot more than their salary based on the fact that they’re subsidized by sponsors.

Every other sport is: salary = salary [+(and any outside sponsorships)]
UFC formula: salary + outside sponsorships + random bonuses + potential win bonus = salary and for a few (growing) this is a good living as a solely professional fighter

You don’t hear someone argue – well Mike Fisher could make more salary by subsidizing it running a hockey school on his off season time and getting RBK sponsorships!

By: 45 Huddle

45 Huddle — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 03:24:56 +0000

I agree. And it’s not like the UFC is losing any fighters that they want to keep. Who have they really lossed? Paul Buentello? Nick Diaz? These guys aren’t even getting paid that much more outside of the UFC. And it might have not been a god career move in terms of the # of people watching them. Look at some other highly overpaid fighters…..

$150,000 for Shogun – What kind of money is he bringing in?
$200,000 for Nogueira – What kind of money is he bring in?
Possibly $2 Million for Fedor – He isn’t worth a fraction of that money.

Who is worth the money? Chuck Liddell…. Tito Ortiz…. Quinton Jackson…. Forrest Griffin… Deigo Sanchez…. Georges St. Pierre….. Matt Hughes…. Rich Franklin…. Michael Bisping…. Anderson Silva….. Randy Couture

These are the guy who are selling the PPV’s. The others should be happy to be there for the ride. I think people forget that around the year 1999…. A UFC Champion was getting around $50,000 a fight. At least that is the number I remember being thrown around. Now a guy like Jon Fitch, who is #4 in the world…. Is getting almost that much. Forrest Griffin, who wasn’t even Top 10 before his last fight…. Was getting over $30,000 more.

Pay increases doesn’t happen overnight…..

By: The Gaijin

The Gaijin — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 03:19:55 +0000

If you really want to extend the absurdism of the arguments: almost every champion is from IVC, RINGS and some nickel and dime shows, plus a few standovers from “Gracie-UFC” days.

By: Grape Knee High

Grape Knee High — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 03:08:28 +0000

Regarding UFC salaries, I believe in the free market. Since the UFC does not have a monopoly on the MMA industry, fighters are getting paid fairly. Else, they would not be fighting in the UFC.

You’re only worth what someone else is willing to pay you to do whatever it is you’re looking to do to make money. Undercard fighters don’t get paid a lot of money because they don’t bring in PPV. Period.

I’ll also go so far as to say that I think quite a few fighters being overpaid, if anything. The economic rent the UFC is paying for many fighters is quite high, IMO.

By: 45 Huddle

45 Huddle — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 02:50:08 +0000

Well, the fact that the UFC helps hook up fighters with sponsors is one of the reasons why it should at least be taken into consideration.

As for the NFL vs. UFC comparison….. Every company has fixed costs. The more revenues coming in, and payout will always become a greater percentage of total revenues. you are literally comparing an American Sports Institution to a company that only become profitable a few years ago, with no proof that it won’t just be a fad within a couple of years. If the UFC has staying power, those salaries will go up in time…..

Also, you speak of the NFL Player’s Union… Isn’t this the same union that isn’t sticking up for it’s own legends? The same one that has multiple athletes with shortened lives due to their years of playing the game… And they are being stingy on them with compensation…. A good example they are.

“It shouldn’t. When the sports media reports on the publicly-available annual salary of Alex Rodriguez, they say “$26 million per year” (or whatever the exact figure is). They don’t say, “Well, it’s $26 million per year, but he also makes a lot of money from a Xyience sponsorship, and I think Mickey’s Malt Liquor sponsors him as well.” Sponsorship is an assumed part of the equation for any professional athlete.”

You are just wrong. Sports Illustrated runs a ranking every year of the highest paid athletes. The include endorsement deals for these rankings. So it is very much part of the sports talk in America.

By: manos

manos — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 02:38:48 +0000

Not that that shit makes any sense, but it’s a good reductio ad absurdum.

By: manos

manos — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 02:38:07 +0000

“On UFC vs. PRIDE:

Just a thought…(since this is still a red-hot topic, apparently)

Middleweight Champion: Anderson Silva (PRIDE)
LightHeavyweight Champion: Rampage Jackson (PRIDE)
Heavyweight Champion: Randy Couture (UFC)”

Following that logic, who were Pride’s only two LHW champs ever?

Wanderlei Silva (UFC Fighter) and Dan Henderson (UFC Fighter)

Middleweight? Dan again.

Gomi-weight? Rightfully, former UFC Fighter Nick Diaz.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 02:33:24 +0000

IF the 205lb title picture is not cleared by next year I say give Ramapge Wanderlei. All the UFC would have to do is show does Pride highlights of Wanderlei destroying Jackson and showing those fights on UFC Unleashed. Rampage wouldn’t mind avenging the losses. The UFC can’t afford to let another big name guy get upset