UFC Fighter Salaries 2010 compared to Boxing

Real reason why they are in-active is same reason why boxers are in-active. Promoters.

Most these guys are under UFC contract or originization contract, and so have to sit around and wait until given a date to fight. MMA doesn't put out fights like boxing does. Go look how many boxing matches go on in given week.

Look at all non PPV fights there are for boxing. But with UFC, all PPV dates, and fitting their entire roster into slots.

I'd hate to be MMA fighter. Get paid jack shit, and can't take on more fights to supplement it. Shit, I know Dream fighters don't even get paid.

GrantZilla wrote:

freakzilla wrote:The difference is like what Ali said. In boxing once you've learnt how to box there isn't much more skill to learn but in MMA there are so many discipline's to learn that you need much more training. Also in MMA you get much more injuries as you are punched, kicked and wrestled.

That is so beyond wrong.

you beat me to it Grant.


I'm not even going to get into the horrific fist fighting skills of the top MMA fighters....

back to the topic: I can't believe there are boxing fans who would want this business model adopted by boxing. Fighters are nothing more than indentured servants fighting for measley crumbs in the UFC. It's a good thing the top stars make good endorsement money.....

freakzilla wrote:You know what I mean. I meant that in MMA you have to learn BJJ, Wrestling, Boxing, Kick Boxing, Judo and other forms. In Boxing all you have to learn is Boxing and not worry about kicks or takedowns.

and it would seem they don't learn any of them particularily well....at least where boxing is concerned..

GrantZilla wrote:

freakzilla wrote:The difference is like what Ali said. In boxing once you've learnt how to box there isn't much more skill to learn but in MMA there are so many discipline's to learn that you need much more training. Also in MMA you get much more injuries as you are punched, kicked and wrestled.

That is so beyond wrong.

haha really?? is that why guys don't usually become World Champions till after 25-30 fights + ????

dbudge wrote:

GrantZilla wrote:

freakzilla wrote:The difference is like what Ali said. In boxing once you've learnt how to box there isn't much more skill to learn but in MMA there are so many discipline's to learn that you need much more training. Also in MMA you get much more injuries as you are punched, kicked and wrestled.

That is so beyond wrong.

haha really?? is that why guys don't usually become World Champions till after 25-30 fights + ????

I said it wrong in that post. I corrected myself in my following post.

Canvas wrote:

freakzilla wrote:You know what I mean. I meant that in MMA you have to learn BJJ, Wrestling, Boxing, Kick Boxing, Judo and other forms. In Boxing all you have to learn is Boxing and not worry about kicks or takedowns.

and it would seem they don't learn any of them particularily well....at least where boxing is concerned..

That's always been my issue with MMA. I love the idea of two guys who are experts at a particular fighting style taking each other on and representing that style. But what UFC and today's MMA has become is just this weird hybrid of imperfect BJJ, poor wrestling and weak stand up. It has become a style unto itself, and not a very interesting one to me.

Weak wrestling? you must not watch much MMA.

freakzilla wrote:Weak wrestling? you must not watch much MMA.

Wrestling in general is weak. It takes skill and athletic ability, sure, but so does synchronized swimming, and I don't wanna watch that either.

GrantZilla wrote:So what. None these guys fight more then 3 times a year. Tops. Silva hasn't fought thee times a year since 2008.

Point is, MMA fighters and boxers have a lot of in-activity.

The huge difference is that MMA match-making is much more competitive. Fighters are constantly forced to fight guys at their level or better.

The other part is that a lot of guys train and compete in other disciplines. A lot of MMA guys also compete in grappling, kick boxing, or muy thai tournaments. Or they may be trying to improve their game by studying a completely new discipline which takes more time to get the hang of than practicing, refining, or building on one's current skill set.

Tobe wrote:That's always been my issue with MMA. I love the idea of two guys who are experts at a particular fighting style taking each other on and representing that style. But what UFC and today's MMA has become is just this weird hybrid of imperfect BJJ, poor wrestling and weak stand up. It has become a style unto itself, and not a very interesting one to me.

Check out the thread Freak put out on the history of MMA. It explains how it's evolved from experts in different styles to the hybrid of martial arts that it is today. There are still masters in different disciplines in the sport.

Your analysis of the skills the fighters posses (imperfect, poor, and weak) are way off. Top BJJ guys, top wrestlers, and top muy thai, karate, kick boxing guys compete. The best in the world at their respective disciplines. Many have begun to figure out how to fluidly combine multiple fighting styles in MMA. It's fine if it's uninteresting to you, but at least have the right reasons ("I think it's boring to watch", "watching two guys hug and grapple is awkward", "the way it's promoted is annoying", etc. Don't say that the athletes aren't world class because they are.

The reason I told Freak this thread would be good for the boxing forum was to talk about if the UFC has a better model than boxing? If it doesn't, is there anything that could be taken from the way they do things to make boxing better?

When I look at the list, I see a lot of fighters making livable wages. Their salaries don't compare to the major sports, but I haven't heard an outcry from UFC guys complaining about their salaries. Goods fights are constantly being made, fighters are constantly forced to prove their rankings, and there's always an influx of new talent.

There are plenty of things I don't like about Dana White and I'm sure there are people getting undeservedly rich off the fighters hard work, but I know Dana busts his ass promoting and marketing. I see it in advertisements and in the US culture. Everyone looks at James Toney and laughs because of where he ranks, but I'm sure that's an acceptable expenditure for Dana to further prove the credibility of the MMA to UFC fans.

Meanwhile the sanctioning bodies and networks are scrapping good fights, trying to make bad fights seem good by inventing belts, padding fighters resumes or overpaying good fighters in boxing. That kills me. So what can be done from a fighter salary stand point?

The huge difference is that MMA match-making is much more competitive. Fighters are constantly forced to fight guys at their level or better.

So you think a boxer that has had only 4-6 fights should go take on The Champion? Pretty common in MMA.

GrantZilla wrote:The huge difference is that MMA match-making is much more competitive. Fighters are constantly forced to fight guys at their level or better.

So you think a boxer that has had only 4-6 fights should go take on The Champion? Pretty common in MMA.

If he's the best available opponent and one the fans want to see fight then absolutely. Boxing is much more refined as a sport so it's harder to come in and be able to dominate top opponents from the get go. But look at Shumenov. I'd love to have more guys like him who are willing to go for it. Especially young guys who can lose and learn from the experience.

And it's not common at all for a guy with 4-6 fights to take on a Champion. It's more like 8-10 and that's for exceptional fighters. This is also in promotional companies with much smaller rosters than boxing.

Given HBO's recent mishandling of boxing's biggest star I think it might not be bad to seriously look at how the UFC is handling the business end of their sport.

Gumby wrote:Given HBO's recent mishandling of boxing's biggest star I think it might not be bad to seriously look at how the UFC is handling the business end of their sport.

UFC are at the opposit end. Brock Lesnar got paid $400,000 as main headline for a PPV that drew around million PPV buys.

That's fucking highway robbery. Lesnar, whether like it or not, has given UFC the highest PPVs they've ever had, and getting paid 400k?

GrantZilla wrote:

Gumby wrote:Given HBO's recent mishandling of boxing's biggest star I think it might not be bad to seriously look at how the UFC is handling the business end of their sport.

UFC are at the opposit end. Brock Lesnar got paid $400,000 as main headline for a PPV that drew around million PPV buys.

That's fucking highway robbery. Lesnar, whether like it or not, has given UFC the highest PPVs they've ever had, and getting paid 400k?

400k is a travesty. Don't understand how UFC can do a million buys but just keep all the cash for themselves. The fighters need to do something about it.

Nick Diaz is seriously considering a jump to boxing so he can get paid

"I wouldn't mind moving up," Diaz said. "I'd just like to get paid for it.

"I just want to get paid. [Boxing champion Manny] Pacquiao's making $40 million. ... I'm over here driving a Honda because my [car] is breaking down."

"In boxing, when you're a superstar, you get millions of dollars," Gracie told ESPN.com. "In MMA, you're not making that kind of money.

"We're in negotiations right now with [boxing promoter] Don Chargin. We would very much like to take a boxing match. It would probably be at super middleweight [168 pounds].

"There have been a few names kicked around. One of them is Fernando Vargas; another is Ricardo Mayorga."

http://sports.espn.go.com/extra/mma/columns/story?columnist=mcneil_franklin&id=6057326