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.
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Fedor Emelianenko Signs With Strikeforce, Will debut In Fall 2009
MMANEWS.COM

NEW YORK (August 3, 2009)-After a week of intense negotiations and speculation, the hottest topic of discussion in the professional fight world has come to a head as the world’s number one heavyweight and most sought after mixed martial arts (MMA) champion Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko has signed a historic, multi-fight agreement that will see him headline mega-events co-promoted by world championship promotions STRIKEFORCE and M-1 Global. Emelianenko, known globally as Fedor, will make his premium television debut this Fall when his first fight under the new agreement airs live on SHOWTIME®. Up until now, Emelianenko’s live fights have aired exclusively on pay-per-view in the United States. “I am looking forward to going back to work and fighting at the highest level," said the 33-year-old Emelianenko. During his nine year professional fight career, which included a four and a half year stay with the world’s former top MMA promotion, the now defunct PRIDE Fighting Championship, the Russian native has faced and defeated all comers. In his last effort, the 6-foot, 235-pound Emelianenko decimated the number two ranked heavyweight at the time Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski with a single punch in the first round (3:14) of the main event of Affliction: “Day of Reckoning” at Anaheim, California’s Honda Center on January 24. “STRIKEFORCE is a top fight promotion that houses some of the greatest fighters in the world,” continued Emelianenko. “I am prepared to fight any of them.” “We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to work with M-1 Global and Fedor,” said STRIKEFORCE Founder and CEO Scott Coker, a martial arts fight promoter of over 25 years. “Fedor has been the reigning king of MMA’s heavyweight division for quite some time now so being able to work with M-1 and Fedor will substantially increase the level of competition amongst the athletes in this weight class.” “With the addition of Fedor and STRIKEFORCE’s new relationship with M-1 Global, SHOWTIME is now the home of the best pound-for-pound male and female fighters in the world,” said Ken Hershman, Senior VP and General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports®. “The Aug. 15 Carano-Cyborg matchup on SHOWTIME will clearly determine the best female mixed martial artist on the planet. Then, come this Fall, our subscribers again will witness history when the universally recognized best male fighter��"Fedor Emelianenko��"joins the already long list of world-class athletes on the STRIKEFORCE roster, and for the first time ever plies his skills live on SHOWTIME.” Hershman continued: “We are better positioned now than ever before to deliver on our promise to televise the top fighters in mixed martial arts today.” “I am very happy and excited about the upcoming collaboration with Strikeforce,” said Vadim Finkelchtein, President of M-1 Global. “We are very pleased that we found a reliable partner and I feel that Strikeforce and M-1 can support each other on many things. This will create big opportunities for both parties to test their fighters against worthy opponents.” Though his official professional record is 30-1, Emelianenko is considered undefeated. The only blemish on his record is a December 22, 2000 fight that was stopped after 17 seconds and declared a TKO in favor of his opponent, Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, due to a cut Emelianenko sustained in the opening seconds of the matchup in Osaka, Japan. Amongst those on Emelianenko’s list of impressive conquests are former PRIDE Heavyweight Champions Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark “The Hammer” Coleman, and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic as well as former UFC Heavyweight Champions Kevin “The Monster” Randleman and Tim Sylvia, whom Emelianenko submitted with a rear naked choke only 36 seconds into their main event showdown at Affliction: “Banned” on July 19, 2008. Despite his extensive experience, Emelianenko’s debut under the new STRIKEFORCE-M-1 venture will, interestingly enough, mark his first start in a cage. To date, all of his bouts have taken place in a ring. After co-promoting two events live on SHOWTIME in 2007 and 2008, STRIKEFORCE in March 2009 signed a multi-year agreement to stage live MMA events on the premium cable television network. About STRIKEFORCE STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.” In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose. About M-1 Global M-1 Global (www.m-1global.com) has been one of the leading Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organizations in the world for over a decade. M-1 has promoted over 150 shows worldwide since 1995. Billed as the “World Cup of Mixed Martial Arts,” the M-1 Challenge is a full season of MMA events that showcases some of the best up and coming MMA fighters in the world. Broadcast to over 90 countries around the world, including HDNet in the United States, the M-1 Challenge pits teams of five fighters representing their respective countries against each other for international bragging rights and the title of M-1 Challenge Champions. Fighters who succeed on the M-1 Challenge’s international breeding ground will earn the opportunity to participate in major MMA events presented by M-1 Global and their promotional partners such as STRIKEFORCE. About Showtime Networks Inc. Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.

Very Cool Gina Carano Video

Name: Antonio Nogueira

Elements of an MMA Workout by Luke Schollmeyer

Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA, is one of the toughest, most intense sports around, requiring combatants to be at their peak fitness level and must have all-around strength, agility, and skill in order to be competitive. So, how exactly does one design a quality MMA workout?
Firstly, simply getting stronger is in order, which means basic strength training, preferrably with multi-joint exercises like squats, deadlifts, cleans, rows and push-presses. Heavy squats and deadlifts are some of the best leg and full-body exercises that a mixed martial arts fighter can do. It will build overall body strength and give you tremendous power. You should vary your routines. Some days heavy (1-3 reps with 10-15 sets or the classic 5x5), other days, higher repetition and lower sets. Squats give you the strength and speed for takedowns, kicking, and explosive techniques. Deadlifts develop your overall pulling power, core and grip strength.
Cleans and push-presses are the overall explosive exercises. Perform them together (a clean and press) with dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells and sandbags for arguably the very best single resistence exercise you could do to help develop your punching, pushing and driving power.
Plyometrics
Plyometric training involves practicing plyometric movements to toughen tissues and train nerve cells to stimulate a specific pattern of muscle contraction so the muscle generates as strong a contraction as possible in the shortest amount of time. A plyometric contraction involves first a rapid muscle lengthening movement, followed by a short resting phase, then an explosive muscle shortening movement, which enables the muscles that work together in doing the particular motion. Plyometric training engages the myostatic-reflex, which is the automatic contraction of muscle when their stretch nerve receptors are stimulated.
Plyometric exercises use explosive movements to develop muscular power, the ability to generate a large amount of force quickly. Plyometric training acts on the nerves, muscles, and tendons to increase an athlete's power output without necessarily increasing their maximum strength.
Standing vertical jumps or box jumps are example lower body plyometric exercises. Explosive push-ups (pushups with a clap, for example) and throwing a medicine ball up to 10-ft. target on the wall are good upper-body examples. Aerobic and Anaerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise increases general fitness. Anaerobic exercise however, is also critical to top performance in the MMA fight because anaerobic preparation will allow you to avoid muscle tiring, or more importantly, work through fatigue. Muscle fatigue occurs when too much lactic acid builds up in the muscles. Outlasting your opponents means you must build up a tolerance for this natural occurrence. Circuits, complexes or sprints will broaden your lactic threshold. Sample MMA Workout Routine
As you can see, you will need to have a varied protocal for putting together a quality MMA workout. You will need to perform both strength resistance work along with plyometric and aerobic training as well.
The following is the weight routine made popular by Team Quest a la Randy Couture. It is an example of a "complex" and is an example of functional strength training and a good cardio workout as well.
Here it is:
Bent rows x 8 Upright rows x 8 Military press x 8 Good morning x 8 Lunges x 8 (each leg) Squat push press x 8 (squat, then perform a push-press) Deadlift x 8
The trick is that you use one bar, not changing the weight, but never stopping during the set. Rest 1 minute between each set. Perform 3-5 sets. Try starting out with a 95-lbs. loaded Olympic bar and see how it goes. Sounds light, doesn't it? Try it and tell me how you fared.

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Smashing Mixed Martial Arts Cage Fighting by Kelly Renaul
MMA cage fighting is held in an eight sided cage that is reinforced with chain link material and padded heavily. This structure is (for obvious reasons) called the Octagon. This sport has seen tremendous growth in popularity over the last several years, and although the basic premise has remained the same, the rules, regulations, and conditions that govern what types of fight gear and apparel a fighter can wear during a match in the cage. The Octagon has become associated as a symbol that relates to the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and the MMA as well. Fans can see MMA cage fighting regularly on TV, and it is featured in the national media fairly often. Since 1993 when the cage fighting first began, The Octagon has been a symbol of it.
The UFC is now known as the largest and most recognized MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) promotion worldwide. The company Zuffa, LLC owns the UFC and has its head quarters in Las Vegas, Nevada. The UFC began in the 1970s in Brazil and was based on the Brazilian fighting style that is known as tudo style. When it first began, however, it really was a no rules, no holds barred contest that absorbed a lot of protests from all over the world as being incredibly violent and inhumane. The criticism worked, as far as the protesters were concerned. The UFCs popularity diminished significantly, and at its lowest point, it reorganized and reformed, adapting strict rules that were sanctioned by athletic commissions, and was re marketed as a legitimate, safer, and more humane sporting event.
The attire that fighters wear for these kinds of competitions is regulated heavily. Only regulation gloves and regulation shorts are allowed. There are no shoes at all that are allowed. Any kind of shirts or pants are also not allowed, no matter what type they are. The reason for the gloves is that they help the fighters deliver stronger punches to the competitor, and they also protect fighters against injury at the same time when they are on the receiving end of a blow. Back when MMA cage fighting began in the 1970s, the attire was worn without regard to any rules, and the many fighters seemed to prefer either tight athletic shorts, boxer shorts, or tight wrestling suits and long pants. One of the most popular fighters of all time, tournament champion Royce Gracie would wear a jujitsu gi in his UFC appearances. The UFC and MMA after that point decided during their re organization phase in the early 1990s to regulate the attire for the MMA cage fighting, and the clothing and apparel then became very popular with fans of the mixed martial arts as well.

For more information on MMA Cage Fighting, please visit our website.
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MMA Gear Buyer's Guide by Shawn Bradshaw

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a full contact sport. Because of this, it is very important to be properly protected. This article will help to make sure that you are correctly informed about what equipment you will absolutely need, whether you are training in the gym or fighting in the cage.
Mouth GuardThough you won't necessarily need a mouth guard for grappling, it is still a good idea due to accidental elbows and head buts. You will certainly need one if you plan on doing any sparring on your feet or training on the ground with striking. All commissions require you to wear a mouth guard when fighting, and there are no exceptions to this rule.
Protective CupIf you are a male, a protective cup is a very good idea but often times it is an afterthought. That is, until you get hit. In many instances you can purchase a cup of good quality for under $15. If comfort is an issue, I suggest wearing a compression short which you can slip the cup into. That way you have maximum comfort and won�t have to deal with straps or strings.
Fight GlovesA quality pair of MMA Gloves will go a long way in training and in the cage. The higher the quality the longer they will last. There are different gloves for different combative situations, but that will be the subject of another article. It terms of MMA Gloves it is often best to go with an experienced, reputable brand.
Rash GuardDepending upon where you train, the length of your rash guard may vary. Rash Guards are important because not only do they help absorb sweat, but they can also help to protect against bacteria left on the mat and skin irritations associated with grappling.
Fight ShortsBack in the 90�s and early part of 2000�s, fight shorts were fight shorts. You basically purchased the pair that looked and fit the best, and there really wasn�t much to choose from. Nowadays however, there are literally hundreds of MMA Shorts out there with a plethora of features to choose from. Be sure to know ahead of time what you are looking for in your next pair of fight shorts. Think about features such as fit and design, but also be sure to think long and hard about material used, mouth guard pockets, and split seams for mobility.
Gear BagAfter accumulating all of your new MMA Gear, you'll need a place to store it all. Though it's true, you don�t necessarily need an MMA Gym Bag, it is nice to have one because they tend to come with combat sports specific features such as mouth guard, towel, and water bottle pockets.
Whether you�re training in the gym or fighting in the cage, I hope that this article has proved useful and shed some light on MMA Gear that you will likely need. I do recommend that you contact your gym or trainer and ask them what is needed for class as each gym runs their mixed martial arts training sessions differently. I wish you the best of luck in your training endeavors.
If you�re looking for a quality store to purchase your MMA Gear from, I highly suggest you choose MMA Overload. With over 1,000 products and 50 MMA brands to choose from, you'll find the widest selection available coupled with great prices and excellent customer service.

MMA Overload - MMA Gear
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The Right Way to Train for MMA by Impact Martial

Contact sports such as mixed martial arts have gained tremendous popularity over the last couple of decades. It is not as if people have suddenly woken up to this sport, it is just that this martial art form is much more exciting and fast paced than some of the other contact sports that are popular in the United States. These contact sport games are ideal to develop quick reflexes and an agile mind. Martial arts are said to be the ideal platform for the all round development of an individual. They are rightly said to be a means to exercise both the mind and the body.
The city of Austin, Texas has established itself as one of the foremost cities in the U.S. for training in kickboxing and mma. Students from all over the continental United States come here with the dreams of becoming the next kickboxing or karate champion. To find yourself a good place to learn martial arts, all you have to do is to type in the keywords martial arts Austin, tx and you will find many results for martial art training academies. Make a shortlist of at least five institutes in Austin and choose one after researching each one of them using the criteria explained below.
Choosing a good academy and teacher are very important if you want to learn mma. Experts in mixed martial arts make use of both striking and grappling techniques to disable their opponents. You need to enrol yourself in an academy that is equipped with instructors who can draw their expertise from a wide range of contact sports like wrestling and boxing. The best mma training institutes in Austin have instructors who are well versed in many Southeast Asian contact sports. This expertise will stand you in good stead when you participate in a competition as you will be able to confuse your opponent by using unusual body thrusts.
One of the ways by which you can identify a good training academy is to see if they have separate courses for beginners. The best institutes have separate beginner�s camps for children. A separate course for beginners is essential because you have to increase your general fitness levels before getting to practice the basics of mixed martial arts techniques. If an institute co-ordinator says that there is no separation of courses for beginners, then you can be sure that they do not follow any structured methodology and such places should therefore be avoided.
Another method by which you can get to know which mma training institute is good for you is by checking out their emphasis on safety. The state of Texas has set some really strict rules to ensure the safety of mixed martial arts matches. This is a sport that allows blows to be traded across all parts of the body, so the use of safety equipment is a must even while training. Institutes in Austin have a good safety record and that is why this martial art form has flourished in the state of Texas.

Greg Fisher is author of this article on Mma Austin. Find more information about karate classes austin here.

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