Randy quits the UFC

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

I am amazed by how many people care about how many cars a fighter has than wanting to see that fighter fight. Who cares about great fights, Titos gotshimself a big ol house~!

 

Here's what a fighter is going to do once he gets big money. Spend it. Spend more of it. And then will fight when he runs out of it. Small money fighters fight more than Big Money fighters. I am sure this is a fact but am too lazy to research it. In one year, coming up on his fight with Guida, Roger Huerta will have fought 5 times. That is only half of what Tito Ortiz has done in 5 times as much time. Tito probably makes 20 times as much as Roger does. Pure coincidence, I am sure.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

What I care for is fair compensation for putting your body on the line each time you fight. It's not about getting a big house or getting 5 cars or getting the latest fashion line in your closet. It's about having the good security to retire on your own terms. Granted you're right that some fighters would blow their paychecks on the hot thing and end up broke as hell, but look at someone like Randy Couture. Are you telling me that man doesn't know how to manage his money well? I am not thinking that fighters need to make 200 thousand per fight, but I do think they need 25 to 50 thousand per fight, and that comes out to 150 to 200 thousand per year if you fight 3 or 4 times.

[Broward83 0]

Did it ever... ever occur to you that "small money fighters" have to fight more because of the fact they're still having to scratch and claw for a spot on the PPV card and not some lousy dark match? These guys have to go out and bust ass more often than a Tito.. than a Chuck.. then even a Rampage because they don't have the drawing power the aforementioned names do. So yeah, Roger's gonna have five fights while Tito only has two or three.. but then again, a guy like Tito has the luxury of picking and choosing who he can / will fight because as much as people will hate on him, Tito brings in money.

 

I am amazed by how many people care about how many cars a fighter has than wanting to see that fighter fight. Who cares about great fights, Titos gotshimself a big ol house~!

 

Here's what a fighter is going to do once he gets big money. Spend it. Spend more of it. And then will fight when he runs out of it.

That, just has you sound like Andrew Bogut and his views on the NBA.

[AmericanDragon 0]

I am amazed by how many people care about how many cars a fighter has than wanting to see that fighter fight. Who cares about great fights, Titos gotshimself a big ol house~!

 

Here's what a fighter is going to do once he gets big money. Spend it. Spend more of it. And then will fight when he runs out of it. Small money fighters fight more than Big Money fighters. I am sure this is a fact but am too lazy to research it. In one year, coming up on his fight with Guida, Roger Huerta will have fought 5 times. That is only half of what Tito Ortiz has done in 5 times as much time. Tito probably makes 20 times as much as Roger does. Pure coincidence, I am sure.

 

Well Tito just plain sucks and never fought that often to begin with. He fought 1-2 times a year before and after he became a UFC star. It's like that with all the old school UFC fighters though like Tito, Couture, Liddell, etc. They fought 2-3 times a year before they became stars and they're still fighting 2-3 times a year now even though they make 100 times more money. Fighters coming over from small shows or Pride are used to fighting 4-6 times a year and they're carrying that over into their UFC careers. Shit most of the newer UFC fighters have as much or even more fights than UFC veterans do.

 

Just wait and see. I have a strong feeling that up and coming fighters who are fighting frequently right now will still fight as much when they make it big. The time of fighters like Liddell fighting 2-3 times a year is almost over.

[Youth N Asia 0]

I wouldn't mind seeing Tito go. Dude cannot put anyone away named Shamrock...seriously, other than the overly beatable Ken Shamrock he has not finished anyone since 2001. Not even Cote

[Guest]

I don't want guys fighting for a 100 dollar paycheck in a bar somewhere when they pass 40. That's my problem with the pay system. I want guys to be able to live comfortably once they retire. Not having to take a job somewhere as a janitor. That shit is embarassing.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

250,000 for what could amount to 1 minute of work is pretty much the max I think fighters should make. Doctors, who invest more time and money into their education, who have far more important jobs, who work way more hours make less than that. The day we see a fighter sign a one fight contract for a million dollars is the day we see this sport begin to suck.

 

Why would anyone care about how fighters spend their post-fight days? Do you seriously want to see people retire in their mid 30's, for what would ultimately be living off a few hours of actual paid work? Making your living as a fighter is a luxury fer chrissakes.

[HollywoodSpikeJenkins 0]

He'll be back and with more money.

 

 

Thing that sucks about this is now the title is vacant. I always enjoyed seeing him go into a fight and strategically take out his opponents.

[v.2 0]

I am amazed by how many people care about how many cars a fighter has than wanting to see that fighter fight. Who cares about great fights, Titos gotshimself a big ol house~!

 

Here's what a fighter is going to do once he gets big money. Spend it. Spend more of it. And then will fight when he runs out of it. Small money fighters fight more than Big Money fighters. I am sure this is a fact but am too lazy to research it. In one year, coming up on his fight with Guida, Roger Huerta will have fought 5 times. That is only half of what Tito Ortiz has done in 5 times as much time. Tito probably makes 20 times as much as Roger does. Pure coincidence, I am sure.

 

Well Tito just plain sucks and never fought that often to begin with. He fought 1-2 times a year before and after he became a UFC star. It's like that with all the old school UFC fighters though like Tito, Couture, Liddell, etc. They fought 2-3 times a year before they became stars and they're still fighting 2-3 times a year now even though they make 100 times more money. Fighters coming over from small shows or Pride are used to fighting 4-6 times a year and they're carrying that over into their UFC careers. Shit most of the newer UFC fighters have as much or even more fights than UFC veterans do.

 

Just wait and see. I have a strong feeling that up and coming fighters who are fighting frequently right now will still fight as much when they make it big. The time of fighters like Liddell fighting 2-3 times a year is almost over.

 

It's always going to be that way, even with as many events as there are, and its not just the pay system. The more hyped and the more invested a promotion becomes in a guy, the less they are going to risk him. Look at Matt Hughes prior to 2002, which coincides with him winning the title. Alot of the big name guys only are risked two to three times a year.

[Darthtiki 0]

Apparently, Dana is pulling a Triple H regarding the internet

[Darthtiki 0]

No, I absolutely agree with Iole's article. I think that how this situation is handled will be pivotal for the UFC and that the quieter it is handled the better chance for a positive effect on the growth of the sport.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

250,000 for what could amount to 1 minute of work is pretty much the max I think fighters should make. Doctors, who invest more time and money into their education, who have far more important jobs, who work way more hours make less than that. The day we see a fighter sign a one fight contract for a million dollars is the day we see this sport begin to suck.

 

Why would anyone care about how fighters spend their post-fight days? Do you seriously want to see people retire in their mid 30's, for what would ultimately be living off a few hours of actual paid work? Making your living as a fighter is a luxury fer chrissakes.

 

You're a fucking moron. One minute? Let's ignore all the pre-fight preparation and all the hard work that happens in the gym. That's not work at all, just focus on what happens in the ring.

 

You have no fucking clue.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Is it, or is it not, possible for a fighter to sign a contract and do absolutely no training leading up to a fight and still get paid for the little work he actually did in the ring? The fact is, fighters don't make money for training, they make it for fighting. I doubt there is anything in the contract that guarantees a certain level of shape or conditioning, as it is the fighters' choice to work retarded training schedules, or to conversely go out every night and party it up and at the end of the day still make more than a police officer, a fireman, or anyone else who could actually save a life and do something relevant. Seriously, most of what you call "pre-fight preparation" is, in reality, just "exercise".

[Broward83 0]

1: The guy would have to make weight for the fight. Could either make it, or not. The latter gives the chance that he doesn't fight at all.

 

2: IF he makes weight and bombs in the fight.. shows up with a complete lack of preparation and just doesn't really take the fight seriously, he could've fought his last fight in the UFC.

 

Now, with both cases.. I'm sure somewhere in the contract there is something that if any of those two examples happened, a fighter could be found in breach of his contract, allowing the UFC to with-hold payment and bar him from fighting in the UFC.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Meeting weight is certainly part of a contact, since it is a key element stated in the contract, but that has little to do with fight preparation/training if the fighter is fighting at his natural weight class or the possibility of a fighter slacking off pre-fight.

 

Fighters are independent contractors, and by definition, can't be told how to prepare for the job they are being paid for. Nor can you qualify/quantify job performance in MMA and directly relate it to preparation. I bet Rich Franklin trained hard to fight Anderson Silva, since that's his rep, but it didn't show in his fight. Meanwhile, Matt Hughes was notorious for under-preparing for most of his fights, usually putting in 2-3 weeks max, but you couldn't tell given his dominance.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Watching some vids on UFC.com and the thought occurred to me "why haven't we seen Brandon Vera fight in a while?". We've been deprived of seeing a very talented fighter compete because of ridiculous contract demands. I don't know how that makes some of you guys happy, but whatever floats your boat...

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

Actually, we've been deprived because of his personal situation with his dipshit manager. I'm surprised you didn't know that considering how big a deal it was for the past year.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Which was caused by retarded demands in contract negotiations.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

It was caused by the manager turning down money Brandon would have accepted. We were deprived because a manager did not relay proper information to Vera, whom then realized he was getting in the bad books of the UFC when he did not even see what the deal was. That has nothing to do with a fighter demanding more money. The minute he made the deal himself everything was fine.

[Mik 0]

I don't know, but is it though?

 

Would it be fair if the UFC pulls in let's say $10M in revenue from a PPV and only pays out $1M in salaries? Despite the fact that he might think so sometimes, they aren't paying to see Dana White.

 

I don't think that the fighters should be making $1M+ a fight, but I don't think $200k plus bonuses is crazy.

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

I don't think that the fighters should be making $1M+ a fight, but I don't think $200k plus bonuses is crazy.

 

Just to play devils advocate, if boxers get more then a million a fight, why shouldnt MMA fighters? Considering MMA is more popular then boxing at this play.

 

[Youth N Asia 0]

I don't have a problem with what they make, but it is a little annoying hearing someone bitch about only making a couple hundred k per fight, when I'm making nine bucks an hour. So it's hard to feel like Randy's being taken advantage of

[Jer 0]

Fighers at the top of the card that draw money should be paid according to how much they draw. If they draw $10M worth of PPV buys, they should get a good chunk of that. It's hard for me to understand the argument that no matter how much they draw, they only "deserve" $200K or whatever. So where does the rest of the PPV money go? To Dana White and the Fertittas? What makes them deserve millions while the fighters that people pay to watch get much less?

 

It sucks to see Randy go, but I certainly understand that he'd feel disrespected being in fights that draw millions and only getting a tiny fraction of that revenue.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

My main gripe with outrageous fighter pay comes from me wanting to see fighters fight more often. What is and isn't "fair" to them doesn't really make much of a difference to me as long as they fight to the best of their abilities. I'd rather see lower ticket and ppv price than higher fighter pay, because that is what benefits me. However, nobody puts the time Dana White puts in to the UFC, and no one invested as much money as the Fertittas. Simply put, they are the main reason why MMA is where it is at today. The profit the UFC makes generally gets reinvested into the company. Global shows, more shows, more fighters, increase in production values, etc. You know, stuff that benefits us, the fans. Since I don't want to see Dana or Lorenzo fight, I don't really care about moneys effect on them and them pulling stunts like holding out on fights. They've earned enough goodwill with me that I trust they do generally what is best for fans. Bringing 155 back, setting up some big time fights, bringing in name fighters, and bringing back talented fighters. I could name a dozen things that piss me off about them and the shit they do off the top of my head, but the good far exceeds the bad, in my view.

[LaParkaMarka 0]

Don't some of the top-tier guys get a cut of the PPV revenue? If you pay the main eventers a bonus based on fight revenue, that might placate them.

 

As for the lower card guys, I think they should implement a sort of base PPV pay. Someone on the card shouldn't be paid 8k a fight, I think it should be closer to 20k.

[Youth N Asia 0]

The UFC was building up and getting bigger before Randy came back, so it's not like they needed him in the first place. GRANTED, it was great seeing him back and I'm sure it helped. But the UFC will be fine

[Broward83 0]

The UFC was building up and getting bigger before Randy came back, so it's not like they needed him in the first place. GRANTED, it was great seeing him back and I'm sure it helped. But the UFC will be fine

 

The UFC might have been building up and getting bigger before Randy.. but he did have a hand in it getting bigger. The UFC kept pimping out how Randy was this old man that could kick anyone's ass, pimping how he was the first to win a title in two different devisions, pimping him as Captain America.

 

The UFC used guys like Randy, Chuck, Tito and others to pimp out the UFC to a broader base.. to get more exposure for their promotion and if those guys aren't getting an adequate deal that represents the time they've put in to promote the UFC, to spread Dana and the Fertita's gospel to anyone that would listen, then they have the right to feel that they were underpaid and taken advantage of.

 

The fear that people should be having is that when people like Tito, Chuck and others start to leave.. who will the UFC market? Currently no one in the HW devision is marketable, hence why people clamored for Randy to come back and take the title. Other devisions, maybe a guy here or there.. but then you run into the problem that you have with boxing in that people start to lose interest because there isn't a compelling reason to watch the fight.

 

I watched Oscar / Floyd not because I was looking for some clinic to take place, but because of the emotions I felt for each in how the fight was built and how the two men marketed not only the fight, but themselves. UFC can have all the clinic matches they want and sure, it'll draw people in.. but the casual crowd will want the drama, not the fight.

[Brush with Greatness 0]

Exactly how I feel. I'm hearing some stories about how this is such a hit for them and "what are they going to do now?", seemingly forgetting that as little as a year ago Randy wasn't even around.

 

Edit- my response was in regard to YNA's post.

[Just call me Dan 0]

Those comments coupled with the constant clamoring of UFC's heavyweight division being the most well rounded out there and the best its ever been boggle my mind. You have Sylvia, Vera, Gonzaga, Arlovski ( WTF is up with him?), Kongo, Cro Cop's comeback, Nog, Mir, and more. Randy leaves and it's crumbled?

 

Look at the LHW picture: STACKED

 

Get Henderson out of his "I prefer to fight at 205" mode and the MW division is doing fine w/ Okami, Franklin. Silva, Hendo, returning Tanner, etc.

 

Welterweights look good and this TUF season helps that, Lightweight division is running strong.

 

What's the problem? I miss Randy already but I'm not afraid of what the UFC is going to do now.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Those comments coupled with the constant clamoring of UFC's heavyweight division being the most well rounded out there and the best its ever been boggle my mind. You have Sylvia, Vera, Gonzaga, Arlovski ( WTF is up with him?), Kongo, Cro Cop's comeback, Nog, Mir, and more. Randy leaves and it's crumbled?

Those are all good to great fighters, but none of them have Couture's drawing power. Yes, UFC have enough quality fighters for a heavyweight division, but none of them are going to attract the interest of the casual fan, and those are the people that spell the difference between a PPV getting 400,00 buys and 700,000 buys. No use having great fighters if not a lot of people want to pay to see them fight.