Former Pride champion and UFC fighter Wanderlei Silva believes that while he was compensated fairly by the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, up-and-coming competitors deserve fatter checks for their efforts.
“The Axe Murderer” told Submission Radio earlier on Tuesday that while his personal relationship with UFC president Dana White is fine, that isn’t going to make him stop calling for better fighter pay.
With me, no, no problems. He was talking about the money that I make. I never said (that I wasn’t paid enough). The money for me, okay it’s good. Not like it’s in the NFL, but it’s okay. I’m not talking about my money. I’m talking about the money for the younger guys. The guys who are coming from nothing and expect to fight for 4,000 bucks. I don’t know, this is not fair. You’re going to hurt yourself, put your life on the way for 4,000 or 8,000 bucks. This is not fair.
The Brazilian brawler’s comments come at an opportune time, as Forbes has named the UFC the No. 10 Most Valuable Sports Brand in 2014, with the organization being worth approximately $440 million this year.
Silva, who formally retired right before the Nevada State Athletic Commission issued him a lifetime ban for avoiding a pre-fight drug test, per Damon Martin, earned a hefty $300,000 paycheck for his knockout over Brian Stann at UFC on Fuel 8 last March, according to MMA Manifesto.
The website reports that Silva was paid $200,000 to show, then two separate $50,000 bonuses for both “Fight of the Night” and “Knockout of the Night” honors.
On the other end of the spectrum, featherweight Mizuto Hirota was reportedly paid just $6,000 for a close decision loss to Rani Yahya on the same card.
White has explained on many occasions that the company’s pay structure is fair and allows moderately active athletes to make a comfortable living, per MMA Junkie.
Is Silva correct in stating that the time is now to start coming up with a better way to compensate fighters who step inside the Octagon?
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
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