UFC legend Georges St-Pierre is not happy with how current UFC fighters are being paid.
The now retired St-Pierre described how he fought for himself and others when he was still active as a guest on TheMighyCast.
“It’s the job of guys that are now popular like we were, we fought for our commission. I fought. I went head-to-head with the UFC on many things, for the fighter’s pay, for the image that we were portrayed as a stereotype. I tried to make us have a better image. Go in with a suit at the press conference,” he said.
St-Pierre wants others to step up now.
“I think now it’s also the job of the celebrities, the ones that have a platform to be vocal to do it. The torch has been passed to them and if they want fighters to be better treated that’s their job to do it while they’re on the spotlight right now,” he said.
St-Pierre described how he approached things.
“If they didn’t want to compensate me the way I wanted I would have gone somewhere else and I was very vocal about it. We bumped heads many times, Dana (White) and I. It was not personal. Now, I’m good friends with Dana. It was business but I did it for myself but the way I did it it was also to help other fighters,” he said.
Currently, rookie UFC fighters make $12,000 a fight and another $12,000 if they win. While UFC fighter pay typically increases with each bout under a standard contract, a competitor earning $12,000, then $14,000, and finally $16,000 over three fights would be guaranteed just $84,000 at most during that year.
A few weeks ago, Forbes released its annual list of the World’s Highest-Paid Athletes. There were no MMA fighters on it.
In response to the criticism he has received, Dana White told Rolling Stone the best is yet to come.
“If you look at the deal we just cut with Paramount, imagine how it’s going to look over the next seven years. Fighter pay has continued to go up and will do so as long as we continue to be successful,” he said.
He also explained how UFC works with new-comers, who don’t always work out.
“If you come into the UFC, let’s say you sign a three-fight deal we’re going to find out if you even belong in the UFC. So, I should pay you $370K to see if you belong in the UFC?” he said. “The question becomes: what do you pay someone to come in and see if they are good enough to be here? What we built is very successful and guys make a lot of money in the UFC. Plus there is a middle class in the UFC.”
