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Spurslove

Well-Known Member
Jul 6, 2012
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Apparently, the fighters in UFC don't make enough money. Unless they're McGregor or a big draw like him - they rarely retire in absolute financial security. I listen to some podcasts with Brendan Schaub on them, and he thinks it's dodgy as fuck.

These guys risk brain damage, injuries, and even death - for pay that doesn't always set them up for life. I'm sick of watching people get their faces punched in either way, I think.

And yet when you hear these guys (and young women) speak, they all say how much they love to fight and how MMA has taken over their lives and the dedication they devote to their training is always highly intense, and the personal sacrifices they all make to achieve their goals is always so impressive.

I've heard that the heavily choreographed WWE could be another avenue for ex MMA fighters, like Ronda Rousey and that it's much much better paid, so maybe fighters like BJ who is clearly unable to fight inside the octagon to anything like the standard he used to, could put himself up for some of that?

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Gareth88

Well-Known Member
Sep 19, 2017
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6,727
His recent fight with Frankie Edgar was very sad to watch and he got absolutely battered, hardly causing Edgar any problems. In fact, if I remember rightly, BJ said after the fight that he shouldn't have been in the octagon at all, so even he knew his time was up and gone.

Very sad now he's drinking and fighting with people in the street. I can only hope the UFC which gave him such a fantastic living all those years are doing something to help him now from a professional point of view, as a Hall of Famer.

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Wishful thinking, I know Dana has some connection with him and was asking him not to fight previous but still let him fight anyway so. I think the only one I have seen them help I believe from memory was Matt Hughes there may be others but not that I remember. Matt Hughes is in a terrible way as well, I don't think he can talk properly at the moment after his accident but lucky to be alive.
 

Gareth88

Well-Known Member
Sep 19, 2017
4,592
6,727
Apparently, the fighters in UFC don't make enough money. Unless they're McGregor or a big draw like him - they rarely retire in absolute financial security. I listen to some podcasts with Brendan Schaub on them, and he thinks it's dodgy as fuck.

These guys risk brain damage, injuries, and even death - for pay that doesn't always set them up for life. I'm sick of watching people get their faces punched in either way, I think.
The lower level guys make okay money for a fight but nothing compared to the main event fighter. I think the average is about 30,000 a fight with say 4 fights a year if lucky so 120,000. That is pennies compared to the risk.
 

SugarRay

Well-Known Member
Jul 6, 2011
7,984
11,110
It’s the same in any sport. The top 2% make big money, the rest do it for the love only really.

If you’re fighting purely for money then you’re not in it for the right reason anyway. Sure, once you reach a certain level or point in your career, then maybe you’ll think about maximising the financial return but it should always begin with being about glory and competition
 

Thewobbler

Well-Known Member
Oct 29, 2016
3,814
5,701
The lower level guys make okay money for a fight but nothing compared to the main event fighter. I think the average is about 30,000 a fight with say 4 fights a year if lucky so 120,000. That is pennies compared to the risk.

Take taxes and paying for coaches and management, those guys hardly make anything for what they put their bodies through.
 

Spurslove

Well-Known Member
Jul 6, 2012
6,627
9,281
Take taxes and paying for coaches and management, those guys hardly make anything for what they put their bodies through.

It's incredible when you consider how hard these guys and ladies train and how they devote their very lives to the sport, which has to be the hardest of all sports. Maybe they can earn extra cash from endorsements and sponsorships...? There have to be other ways of them maximising their earnings?

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SugarRay

Well-Known Member
Jul 6, 2011
7,984
11,110
It's incredible when you consider how hard these guys and ladies train and how they devote their very lives to the sport, which has to be the hardest of all sports. Maybe they can earn extra cash from endorsements and sponsorships...? There have to be other ways of them maximising their earnings?

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Thing is, if the money isn’t there, then why should they get more? I wish every fighter, bar a few rare cases, earned big money and got well paid but it’s not that simple. I’ve seen enough small hall boxing shows where fighters put on a great show for a grand. Vital to the sport these fighters too. In my mind they should earn tens of thousands per fight but who’s going to foot the bill?

The way they top up their earnings is usually by having a job to supplement it.
 

Spurslove

Well-Known Member
Jul 6, 2012
6,627
9,281
Thing is, if the money isn’t there, then why should they get more? I wish every fighter, bar a few rare cases, earned big money and got well paid but it’s not that simple. I’ve seen enough small hall boxing shows where fighters put on a great show for a grand. Vital to the sport these fighters too. In my mind they should earn tens of thousands per fight but who’s going to foot the bill?

The way they top up their earnings is usually by having a job to supplement it.

But that's not possible if the fighters are training every day busting their guts with every ounce of sweat and dedication, getting and keeping themselves in tip-top physical shape. That's why I mentioned possible other forms of income like product endorsements and sponsorships. Basically, what they get for what they do is a joke. I only watch UFC but I guess it's the same with other cage fighting brands, like Bellator. It's crazy really.

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yankspurs

Enic Out
Aug 22, 2013
41,883
71,187
Khabib is such a dominant fighter but I cant help but think how bad it is for UFC when the most dominant fighters only appeal is seeing if someone can stop him. Just so insanely boring. Hard to watch
 

ajspurs

Well-Known Member
Jul 7, 2007
22,985
31,166
I guess the only fight left is the Tony Ferguson fight really. Like you say @yankspurs he's just so dominant, once he gets a takedown it's round or fight over.

As much as I like Ferguson, if he can't keep the fight standing the outcome will be the same. Same for Conor if that fight ever gets made again too.

You could see after that first round that Dustin was thinking "yeah, this is gonna be tough".
 

Locotoro

Prince of Zamunda
Sep 2, 2004
9,326
13,915
Now that that’s over, we wont have to see him again for few months. Thank god. Yawn.

I disagree completely.

When you have someone as good as Khabib it's a pleasure to watch him find a way to win. When MacGregor was on top no one said it was bad for the sport because he was a loud mouth. You see someone who's an absolute machine and highly respectful and apparently it's bad for the sport.

Not sure how that works!?
 

Locotoro

Prince of Zamunda
Sep 2, 2004
9,326
13,915
I guess the only fight left is the Tony Ferguson fight really. Like you say @yankspurs he's just so dominant, once he gets a takedown it's round or fight over.

As much as I like Ferguson, if he can't keep the fight standing the outcome will be the same. Same for Conor if that fight ever gets made again too.

You could see after that first round that Dustin was thinking "yeah, this is gonna be tough".

I'd like to see him up against Gaethje who is also a wrestling specialist although I still suspect Khabib would be too much for him.

It would be good to see him against another grappling specialist to really test his skills
 

yankspurs

Enic Out
Aug 22, 2013
41,883
71,187
I disagree completely.

When you have someone as good as Khabib it's a pleasure to watch him find a way to win. When MacGregor was on top no one said it was bad for the sport because he was a loud mouth. You see someone who's an absolute machine and highly respectful and apparently it's bad for the sport.

Not sure how that works!?
I mean, him being respectful kind of went out the window with that conor post fight debacle. Both of them are highly disrespectful, IMO...

But I couldnt give a shit about that. Khabib, while being the most dominant fighter in the sport, is just so boring to watch fight. Nothing exciting in watching someone just hold someone else on the ground looking for a submission. I respect how dominant he is. Once he gets someone on the ground, it's over. But its just not something I enjoy watching. Give me the standing up blow for blow fight with a potential knockout any day of the week.
 

WalkerboyUK

Well-Known Member
Jun 8, 2009
21,658
23,476
Khabib’s style simply isn’t spectator friendly.
Fight fans want to watch a brawl, not someone who is just going to sit on their opponent for 3-4 minutes of a round.
Sure, Conor is a gobshite, but he stands and fights. Khabib’s tactics are simple - takedown, sit on opponent against the cage.
Then it’s all about hoping the opponent can slither out...
 

Spurslove

Well-Known Member
Jul 6, 2012
6,627
9,281
I mean, him being respectful kind of went out the window with that conor post fight debacle. Both of them are highly disrespectful, IMO...

But I couldnt give a shit about that. Khabib, while being the most dominant fighter in the sport, is just so boring to watch fight. Nothing exciting in watching someone just hold someone else on the ground looking for a submission. I respect how dominant he is. Once he gets someone on the ground, it's over. But its just not something I enjoy watching. Give me the standing up blow for blow fight with a potential knockout any day of the week

I do agree with you regarding the sort of fights I like to watch, and there have been some absolute classic 'tear-ups' over the years (I'm sure we've all got our own favourites) but the celebrated greatest MMA fighter of all time, Royce Gracie was predominantly, a wrestler of the very highest order, who's stand-up game was never that good. Yeah, he gained a lot of respect around the world for making the sport what it is today, although for me, a really boring fighter to watch but it wasn't his fault he was the best around at the time, any more than it's Khabib's fault, so his challenge is always for someone to come along and either beat him on the ground, or knock him spark out, and so far nobody has come even close to doing either.

He may not be the most exciting MMA fighter in the UFC but he's the best and 28-0 says so.

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Locotoro

Prince of Zamunda
Sep 2, 2004
9,326
13,915
I mean, him being respectful kind of went out the window with that conor post fight debacle. Both of them are highly disrespectful, IMO...

But I couldnt give a shit about that. Khabib, while being the most dominant fighter in the sport, is just so boring to watch fight. Nothing exciting in watching someone just hold someone else on the ground looking for a submission. I respect how dominant he is. Once he gets someone on the ground, it's over. But its just not something I enjoy watching. Give me the standing up blow for blow fight with a potential knockout any day of the week.

Ok so I understand your point now. You like the stand up striker type fighter. Whereas I enjoy watching Khabib smother a fighter and get a grip on him like an anaconda and slowly but surely squeeze the life out of them with inevitability. For me it's great because I train BJJ so watching him and knowing he's going to find an opening somewhere is a lesson in patience, timing and distraction.

You see when he takes the rear naked choke hold on Poirer, Poirer still had a defence on it and Khabib couldn't get the gold in place. So he bring his left arm over and goes for 2 strikes to the head, enough time for Poirer to shift his chin away from his chest and boom Khabib goes straight in with the forearm under the chin. I find that stuff interesting in the same way you like the striking. So maybe our opinions just differ on style preference.

Having said that, I'm sure you recall the right hook that he landed on Connor that made him go wobbly. That was kind of a message to say you're still in danger if you try and box me.
 

Locotoro

Prince of Zamunda
Sep 2, 2004
9,326
13,915
Khabib’s style simply isn’t spectator friendly.
Fight fans want to watch a brawl, not someone who is just going to sit on their opponent for 3-4 minutes of a round.
Sure, Conor is a gobshite, but he stands and fights. Khabib’s tactics are simple - takedown, sit on opponent against the cage.
Then it’s all about hoping the opponent can slither out...

I think you really do a disservice to the skill required to take down, leverage the body or cage and tap out these seasoned fighters.
I agree it's not spectacular but it's very highly technical and efficient. He's like the polar opposite to Nate Diaz who everyone seems to love even though he leaves himself open to so many knock-downs
 

Gareth88

Well-Known Member
Sep 19, 2017
4,592
6,727
I honestly think the Tony fight will be a war for Khabib, both have excellent cardio but from what I hear Tony is just a machine. Khabib likes to grind opponents down tire them out psyhically and mentally, Tony has great BJJ something I havent seen Khabib come up against from what I remember. Tony’s elbows are like razor blades everyone he fights is bleeding. Hopefully it happens this year finally.
 

Gareth88

Well-Known Member
Sep 19, 2017
4,592
6,727
Khabib’s style simply isn’t spectator friendly.
Fight fans want to watch a brawl, not someone who is just going to sit on their opponent for 3-4 minutes of a round.
Sure, Conor is a gobshite, but he stands and fights. Khabib’s tactics are simple - takedown, sit on opponent against the cage.
Then it’s all about hoping the opponent can slither out...
Do you remember Brock Lesner fights those turned me off MMA for a while he used to just lay on top of people, Khabib has a crazy wrestling game and although it looks simple to the viewers no one has been able to stop it.
 
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