The Truth About MMA Fighter Salaries
Posted by Jurie Burie | Labels: Fighter Salaries, Fighter Salary, mma, ufc, UFC 100 | Posted On Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 1:15 AM
The Truth About MMA Fighter Salaries by Damian Kutzner
Sports salaries are a highly controversial topic. Sit in any sports bar for any length of time and phrases like, "so-and-so isn't worth what he's being paid," or "so-and-so is stupid for paying that much for a player," will surely be heard. Critics argue that the paychecks earned by sports figures are excessive. But a look at the monies earned by sponsors, promoters, and advertisers makes a paltry six-figure salary look like a blip on the radar.
Consider that UFC 100, the UFC's heavily promoted and long-awaited milestone event, brought in a sold-out crowd estimated to be 11,000. This was the second-largest gate in the history of the UFC history, bringing in approximately $5.1 million from ticket sales alone. Brock Lesnar, the UFC heavyweight champion and Georges St. Pierre each took home $400,000 for their co-main event victories. Those fighters took home less than 16% of the income ticket sales, a figure which doesn't include pay per view fees or merchandising.
Currently, top-level MMA fighters are paid from two primary sources sources. The first comes from the fight promoters. Fighters get a small base salary per fight and a percentage based on Pay Per View viewership. Successful fighters also have sponsors that pay them varying amounts to promote products and make public appearances.
Interestingly, while one would readily assume that the salaries, bonuses, and sponsorship dollars paid to Major League Baseball players, NFL players and some of the stars of the NBA are higher than MMA stars, Major League Soccer players also earn more than top UFC fighters.
Here are some of the salaries of top earners within the UFC for comparison:
* Chuck Liddell at UFC 88: $500,000 * Brock Lesnar at UFC 100: $400,000 * Georges St. Pierre at UFC 100: $400,000 * Quinton Jackson at UFC 96: $325,000 * Matt Hughes at UFC 98: $260,000 * Forrest Griffin at UFC 92: $210,000 * Lyoto Machida at UFC 98: $200,000 * Rashad Evans at UFC 98: $200,000
Some of these fighters only fight once or twice a year so these figures could be annual earnings or 50% of annual earnings. Because the fights are dictated by the UFC fight calendar, injuries, and the availability of coaches, Ultimate Fighters have less control over their earnings than their counterparts in other sports.
Of course, average fighters aren't even in the same league as the top competitors. An average fighter can expect to be paid around $30,000 per show. If they win, they are paid another $30,000.
How much would you want to make to take a hit like these guys?
Sources: * MMA Frenzy * MMA Weekly * The Mixed Martial Arts News Website
Damian Kutzner is a serial entrepreneur who understands success. He opened his own real estate firm at 23 then went on to launch one of the most successful debt settlement firms in the nation. Damian is the founder and CEO of Integrated Legal Systems (ILS), a company that provides applications to simplify the way law firms do business. He is also the president of Serious Pimp, an extreme lifestyle clothing company that sponsors MMA fighters and events.
Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/The-Truth-About-MMA-Fighter-Salaries/719478
Sports salaries are a highly controversial topic. Sit in any sports bar for any length of time and phrases like, "so-and-so isn't worth what he's being paid," or "so-and-so is stupid for paying that much for a player," will surely be heard. Critics argue that the paychecks earned by sports figures are excessive. But a look at the monies earned by sponsors, promoters, and advertisers makes a paltry six-figure salary look like a blip on the radar.
Consider that UFC 100, the UFC's heavily promoted and long-awaited milestone event, brought in a sold-out crowd estimated to be 11,000. This was the second-largest gate in the history of the UFC history, bringing in approximately $5.1 million from ticket sales alone. Brock Lesnar, the UFC heavyweight champion and Georges St. Pierre each took home $400,000 for their co-main event victories. Those fighters took home less than 16% of the income ticket sales, a figure which doesn't include pay per view fees or merchandising.
Currently, top-level MMA fighters are paid from two primary sources sources. The first comes from the fight promoters. Fighters get a small base salary per fight and a percentage based on Pay Per View viewership. Successful fighters also have sponsors that pay them varying amounts to promote products and make public appearances.
Interestingly, while one would readily assume that the salaries, bonuses, and sponsorship dollars paid to Major League Baseball players, NFL players and some of the stars of the NBA are higher than MMA stars, Major League Soccer players also earn more than top UFC fighters.
Here are some of the salaries of top earners within the UFC for comparison:
* Chuck Liddell at UFC 88: $500,000 * Brock Lesnar at UFC 100: $400,000 * Georges St. Pierre at UFC 100: $400,000 * Quinton Jackson at UFC 96: $325,000 * Matt Hughes at UFC 98: $260,000 * Forrest Griffin at UFC 92: $210,000 * Lyoto Machida at UFC 98: $200,000 * Rashad Evans at UFC 98: $200,000
Some of these fighters only fight once or twice a year so these figures could be annual earnings or 50% of annual earnings. Because the fights are dictated by the UFC fight calendar, injuries, and the availability of coaches, Ultimate Fighters have less control over their earnings than their counterparts in other sports.
Of course, average fighters aren't even in the same league as the top competitors. An average fighter can expect to be paid around $30,000 per show. If they win, they are paid another $30,000.
How much would you want to make to take a hit like these guys?
Sources: * MMA Frenzy * MMA Weekly * The Mixed Martial Arts News Website
Damian Kutzner is a serial entrepreneur who understands success. He opened his own real estate firm at 23 then went on to launch one of the most successful debt settlement firms in the nation. Damian is the founder and CEO of Integrated Legal Systems (ILS), a company that provides applications to simplify the way law firms do business. He is also the president of Serious Pimp, an extreme lifestyle clothing company that sponsors MMA fighters and events.
Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/The-Truth-About-MMA-Fighter-Salaries/719478
Post a Comment