KHALIDOV OFFERED $20K/$20K DEAL BY UFC

KHALIDOV OFFERED $20K/$20K DEAL BY UFC

JUNE 8TH 2012

Mamed Khalidov’s categorising of the UFC’s financial offer to him as “laughable” has caused heads to be scratched at Zuffa headquarters.

The KSW star was offered a four-fight deal by the UFC recently but made public comments about the financial terms being unacceptable to him. He is paid $30,000 per fight in Poland, plus sponsorship, and is slowly edging onto mainstream television chat shows and the like.

“If you look at the conditions for the first and second fight, they are not really acceptable. If they were decent then I would accept. I'm not saying that everyone knows who I am, but I'm not anonymous,” the Chechen-born fighter explains.

“Michael Bisping for one fight gets about $500,000 and is lower in the rankings. I understand that he is a star there and has taken time for the money. On the other hand I can not agree to humiliating terms.

“UFC expects spectacular fights… I have proved by fighting in EliteXC, in the US, in Japan, that I can fight this way (spectacular) and I do not think I need to prove it once again… I know that this is a business but if they do not see me as a player worth big money, it makes no sense to fight there.”

Fighters Only spoke to a source on the Zuffa side who said that Khalidov’s comments were puzzling considering that he was offered a $20,000/$20,000 deal. That means that his first fight, if he won it, would be worth $40,000. If he lost he would get $20,000 - less than his KSW rate but more than UFC newcomers who are unknown in the US.

Khalidov’s management supposedly told the UFC that his overall package had to be higher because the sponsors would not follow him from KSW to the UFC. “That was a strange thing to say,” said the source. “It equates to ‘please pay him more, because nobody wants to sponsor him’ - does that make your fighter sound more attractive or less attractive to a promoter?”

Khalidov has fought once before in North America, stopping Jason Guida in the second round of a 2008 ShoXC event. His remuneration for that fight was not revealed by the Indiana Athletic Commission but ShoXC generally never paid fighters over $10,000. However, the deal with ShoXC/EliteXC was non-exclusive.

He has lost only one of his nine bouts since the Guida win, but that loss was to Jorge Santiago. Former Sengoku champion Santiago struggled when he was twice in the UFC and was released from both contracts, and that isn’t impressive from the Zuffa side. They want to see Khalidov’s form before showering him with gold.

Khalidov’s most recent wins include Jesse Taylor, Matt Lindland and James Irvin - all name opponents, but nothing like the calibre to be found in the UFC middleweight division at present. “With all due respect to Khalidov his claim to be higher in the rankings than Michael Bisping is in itself laughable,” says the source. “Who has he beaten really?”

As of now the offer is still on the table for Khalidov but Fighters Only has learned that the financial terms will not be altered. He can either accept the $20,000/$20,000 four-fight deal or elect to remain with KSW. For Khalidov the choice is problematical because the money and (mainstream) fame presently lies with the KSW side, but he badly wants to test himself in the MMA premier league and the longer he leaves it, the older he gets and so risks passing his peak.

Money can also go up substantially in the UFC with bonuses and spectacular performances. Khalidov fights for the finish and certainly has the potential to light the fans up, so he also has to calculate his chances of finishing the kind of opponents he would likely to be offered in his first appearance for the UFC.

More news as we get it.

http://www.fightersonlymag.com/content/news/16343-khalidov-offered-20k20k-deal-by-ufc

From what I understand, he is becoming well known in Poland.

A Polish guy on sherdog had this to say:

First of all, my dear friends: Khalidov got a new offer from KSW. The Wallace fight was the last one on his contract (30k$ per fight contract)

Now he got a new contract - probably 50% bigger (which means 45,000$ per fight GUARANTEED!)

So, 45k + sponsors in Poland.

In the UFC: 20k guaranteed, another 20k if he wins = 40,000$ when he wins. I doubt that the sponsors would be as generous as in Poland. And, well, Khalidov can get some bonus. But, yeah, thats not guaranteed.

Its not hard to choose which offer is bigger.

Let's be real, he will make more money in ufc anyways, most of the ufc money is undisclosed, all the bonus and everything, and his contract value would grow plus the plataform will make him earn more money with sponsors and new opportunities. They probably will make a better offer, it's a negotiaton process. The problem is that you is forced to play the game with dana, since most of the money is not guaranteed and it's not everybody who want suck his dick (barnett, etc).

bolsheet wrote:Let's be real, he will make more money in ufc anyways, most of the ufc money is undisclosed, all the bonus and everything, and his contract value would grow plus the plataform will make him earn more money with sponsors and new opportunities. They probably will make a better offer, it's a negotiaton process. The problem is that you is forced to play the game with dana, since most of the money is not guaranteed and it's not everybody who want suck his dick (barnett, etc).

He could potentially make more money but might not if he loses & gets cut.

It's a choice, take the risk & may be you will make more money if you do well & are on Dana's good side or stay put and make less but guaranteed money.

Plus he has his sponsor money to worry about, his sponsors in Poland seem to be domestic market guys & won't be interested to follow him to the US.

You know they would put him against an extremely unfavorable opponent.
His submissions are good but he is very susceptible to takedowns, which are scored highly in the States.

It would be nice to see him go up against Munoz, who has very overrated wrestling and has managed to become a top ten MW.

i really wanna see Khalidov in UFC i hope he will be fighting there in the future

He does not need zuffa I think he should stay with KSW or go to M-1.

Isn't this just the whole Fedor and those crazy Russians deal all over again.

If the deal is right for Khalidov, he'll take it after weighing everything out for HIM not for Dana or the Zuffanation. If there are no reasonable guarantees up front relative to your current pay, who would take that??? This doesn't make sense as one punch or kick can end your career in MMA.

If there are too many restrictions in the contract over the job Mamed currently has... who would take that? If it's likely he'll give up his current guaranteed money in his deal from polish speaking/market sponsors... who would do that???

Just because Dana tells them that there is no bigger $$$ competition to the UFC, the whole of Zombiedom figures that there are no better deals for the world's top fighters out there. Well evidently things changed a while back and Dana never got the memo.

In every other major pro sport when you sign your life away for 1,2,3 or 10 seasons you have guarantees in your contract. If you employer wants to terminate your services before a certain number of seasons, they have to buy you out of your contract. I'm aware that there are minimum number of fights on Zuffa contracts. As they've had no reason to make any early termination payouts fair for the fighters, I'm sure they're not.

To me, this is the big issue... 'number of fights per year' guarantees on UFC contacts. From what I gather there are either few of these or they are non-existant. I hear way too many UFC fighters saying they're waiting around for long periods waiting for fights. If the UFC is the 'best fighting the best 3 times a year'... then they should payout fighters for each fight that doesn't meet the 3 fight mark in a given year. Barring injury, the UFC has every opportunity to do that. If they're carrying to many fighters on their rosters... screw them. Go talk to any other pro sport.

Many UFC fighters are being restricted from earning a full-time living fighting for the UFC because they don't get 2 fights per year let alone 3. Some make <$20K total for only 1 or 2 fights and then can't fight anywhere else the other 50 Saturday nights of the year. HTF can you feed yourself let alone your family after paying traing costs etc? Yet, the UFC is bringing in tens of millions for their PPV cards.

There is NO other major/major'ish pro sport where this would fly with the athletes or even their fans if educated on the subject.

As KSW, M-1, ONE FC keep growing... things will only get better for the fighters. Zuffa's gonna have to buck up or STFU to sign & keep top guys on their rosters. Unless that is, they eliminate free agency by getting fighter contracts from the same guy that Dana signed 'his' deal with... And I ain't talking Lorenzo here.

The exclusive deal is what makes possible for the ufc retain or grow the value of the fighters, one of the reasons what makes ufc a profit company and makes sense for 95% of the fighters also. If you are under contract with the ufc why fight for few bucks on titan fc or xfc? The UFC have to many fighters, especialy irrelevants (almost 350 fighters, 63 ww, 68 lw), and don't have infinitive dates, the reason UFC have this fighters is because they are too professional, if you came a late replaciment and sux you will get a multigiht deal and offer another fight at least, beacuse all ufc fighter have multifight deal contract and are offered ufc fights.
A fighter in ufc don't want take 4+ fights on a year because you want have a 3 month traing camp came 100% and have a better chance to avoid the loss and be cut due a poor record in the company (you're already on the ufc why risk have a loss if the ufc is the place where you want to be), In the LHW and HW that maybe be true because the roster is relative short and the matchups are limited but how you can make 350 diferent fighters happy. The only fighters who actually said no to renegotiate a contract witch the UFC in recentmemory was Dan Henderson, the only one.
If you are smart you can sell yourseft as UFC fighter and make more money in offseason, do seminars, teach classes, do fan expos, etc.
You can't compare the UFC witch orther sports, it's the fighting game, in NFL most of the contracts are not guarantee. The real issue is that you have to sell yourseft to dana white to make the GSP bucks.

There's very little legit competition left for Mamed outside of the UFC...It's not really the fault of the other promotions, it's just that the UFC snatched up pretty much the majority of MW talent. The only interesting fight left for Mamed is against Shlemenko. Besides that there's really no other compelling match ups.

I don't know, I think Sultanakhmedov would be a fun opponent and a rematch with Ryuta Sakurai is needed.

But you're right, there's not much left.
Id like to see Khalidov get a shot at the American top ten.

bolsheet wrote:The exclusive deal is what makes possible for the ufc retain or grow the value of the fighters, one of the reasons what makes ufc a profit company and makes sense for 95% of the fighters also. If you are under contract with the ufc why fight for few bucks on titan fc or xfc? The UFC have to many fighters, especialy irrelevants (almost 350 fighters, 63 ww, 68 lw), and don't have infinitive dates, the reason UFC have this fighters is because they are too professional, if you came a late replaciment and sux you will get a multigiht deal and offer another fight at least, beacuse all ufc fighter have multifight deal contract and are offered ufc fights.
A fighter in ufc don't want take 4+ fights on a year because you want have a 3 month traing camp came 100% and have a better chance to avoid the loss and be cut due a poor record in the company (you're already on the ufc why risk have a loss if the ufc is the place where you want to be), In the LHW and HW that maybe be true because the roster is relative short and the matchups are limited but how you can make 350 diferent fighters happy. The only fighters who actually said no to renegotiate a contract witch the UFC in recentmemory was Dan Henderson, the only one.
If you are smart you can sell yourseft as UFC fighter and make more money in offseason, do seminars, teach classes, do fan expos, etc.
You can't compare the UFC witch orther sports, it's the fighting game, in NFL most of the contracts are not guarantee. The real issue is that you have to sell yourseft to dana white to make the GSP bucks.

With all do respect, you address very few, if any, of Dagwood's points here (and I only mention it because I by-in-large agree with what he had to say).

If you are smart you can sell yourseft as UFC fighter and make more money in offseason, do seminars, teach classes, do fan expos, etc.

That is really grasping at straws. It isn't just anyone that can actually make money off of workshops. Teaching seminars is often enough effectively charity work.

You can't compare the UFC witch orther sports, it's the fighting game, in NFL most of the contracts are not guarantee. The real issue is that you have to sell yourseft to dana white to make the GSP bucks.

The NFL has minimum contracts, which are 6 figures. That's for guys that never see playtime outside of practice.

I understand what you're saying but the restrictions is the exclusive multifight deal what's for most for small/middle names is good, as many fights in year i don't think have anything to do witch ufc doing a power play, i just said that you can't compare mma vs. nfl, nba, etc. If you came as undrafted rookie and join a nfl team you have no sing bonus, or anything guaranteed and have a 3 year deal. As far the the money goes the top guys are really very underpaid but on the bottom i don't think is that bad. At the end of the day mma isn't a global or traditional sport yet when you read that mma will be big than soccer or even boxing isn't true as well the purses.

doubledx2c wrote:There's very little legit competition left for Mamed outside of the UFC...It's not really the fault of the other promotions, it's just that the UFC snatched up pretty much the majority of MW talent. The only interesting fight left for Mamed is against Shlemenko. Besides that there's really no other compelling match ups.

If KSW, M-1, and Bellator worked together there would be a lot of great fights for Khalidov.

First, I would like to see him fight Materla for the KSW MW belt. After that below would be some sweet cross-promotional fights:

Alexander Shlemenko (Bellator)
Magomed Sultanakhmedov (M-1 Global Champion)
Anthony Johnson (Titan FC) - They could sign him as well
Antonio Neto (AFC) - They could sign him as well
Maiquel Falcao (Bellator)
Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (Bellator)
Jorge Santiago III (Titan FC) - They could sign him as well
Vitor Vianna (Bellator)

bolsheet wrote:I understand what you're saying but the restrictions is the exclusive multifight deal what's for most for small/middle names is good, as many fights in year i don't think have anything to do witch ufc doing a power play, i just said that you can't compare mma vs. nfl, nba, etc. If you came as undrafted rookie and join a nfl team you have no sing bonus, or anything guaranteed and have a 3 year deal. As far the the money goes the top guys are really very underpaid but on the bottom i don't think is that bad. At the end of the day mma isn't a global or traditional sport yet when you read that mma will be big than soccer or even boxing isn't true as well the purses.

When you read reported paydays of guys on the low end of cards earning $5,000-$10,000 base pay, I have to say they are severely underpaid (some reported paydays are even in the $3000 range). If you are going to pay this low, the least you could do is let the guys be free to fight in other shows, where they might make comparable pay, maybe just $2000 or so, but at least they have a chance to fight and make money. Not that it's good to be paid so little to fight anywhere, but the fact that they are paid so low, and don't have the option to fight elsewhere, contributes to their troubles.

Yes, UFC is not NBA or NFL level. Although, if we go by the words of their president, they are "already bigger than NFL." Food for thought. It's obviously not true what the idiot promoter said, as they are nowhere near NFL, but maybe it's time for these guys to put their money where their mouth is? Or else, go back and sit in the corner of sportsdome, where they actually belong.

However, they have been doing cards which draw tens of millions in profits. There numbers have been down recently, but 1 million-plus-buys pay per views is some very serious cash. The fact that boxing pulls these kinds of numbers, and the A-level fighters pull $20 or $30 million paydays, whereas the UFC headliner gets $400,000 is very telling.

In reality, the UFC is as profitable as it is because it has built a model based on the systematic exploitation of its fighters. Fighters are paid way less than what they are worth. It is the UFC stranglehold which 'systematically' allows this sort of situation.

Finally, as per the Khalidov situation, we've seen plenty of fighters get completely screwed by Zuffa. There is no even playing field at Zuffa. Khalidov made a very smart move. If Zuffa paid him his worth, maybe he could consider it, but Zuffa does not play fair.

And the undrafted rookie argument doesn't fly, either. He's already built his name. Zuffa isn't the NBA, you said it yourself. The fact that Zuffa prefers to hype up their homegrown fighters doesn't make his monetary claims any less credible. (Then add in the record of Zuffa on screwing fighters, why in the hell would anybody in their right mind accept less-than guaranteed monies?)

CDF47 wrote:

doubledx2c wrote:There's very little legit competition left for Mamed outside of the UFC...It's not really the fault of the other promotions, it's just that the UFC snatched up pretty much the majority of MW talent. The only interesting fight left for Mamed is against Shlemenko. Besides that there's really no other compelling match ups.

If KSW, M-1, and Bellator worked together there would be a lot of great fights for Khalidov.

First, I would like to see him fight Materla for the KSW MW belt. After that below would be some sweet cross-promotional fights:

Alexander Shlemenko (Bellator)
Magomed Sultanakhmedov (M-1 Global Champion)
Anthony Johnson (Titan FC) - They could sign him as well
Antonio Neto (AFC) - They could sign him as well
Maiquel Falcao (Bellator)
Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (Bellator)
Jorge Santiago III (Titan FC) - They could sign him as well
Vitor Vianna (Bellator)

I think I read that M1 and Bellator aren't exactly on great terms anymore, so Magomed might be out of the picture. Honestly, Anthony Johnson would have a boring fight with Mamed, and that's IF he even made weight. Shlemenko is the only match up that intrigues me. The rest of them aren't exactly top comp. Would they be fun fights? Maybe. Would they be worth Mamed's time? Who knows.

doubledx2c wrote:

CDF47 wrote:

doubledx2c wrote:There's very little legit competition left for Mamed outside of the UFC...It's not really the fault of the other promotions, it's just that the UFC snatched up pretty much the majority of MW talent. The only interesting fight left for Mamed is against Shlemenko. Besides that there's really no other compelling match ups.

If KSW, M-1, and Bellator worked together there would be a lot of great fights for Khalidov.

First, I would like to see him fight Materla for the KSW MW belt. After that below would be some sweet cross-promotional fights:

Alexander Shlemenko (Bellator)
Magomed Sultanakhmedov (M-1 Global Champion)
Anthony Johnson (Titan FC) - They could sign him as well
Antonio Neto (AFC) - They could sign him as well
Maiquel Falcao (Bellator)
Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (Bellator)
Jorge Santiago III (Titan FC) - They could sign him as well
Vitor Vianna (Bellator)

I think I read that M1 and Bellator aren't exactly on great terms anymore, so Magomed might be out of the picture. Honestly, Anthony Johnson would have a boring fight with Mamed, and that's IF he even made weight. Shlemenko is the only match up that intrigues me. The rest of them aren't exactly top comp. Would they be fun fights? Maybe. Would they be worth Mamed's time? Who knows.

Yeah, it sucks M-1 and Bellator had those contractually disputes with Slava and others. Wish they would get over that shit, see the big picture, and start sharing some fighters and cross-promoting. Magomed vs. Khalidov would definitely be a fight I would want to see.

It would be cool to see Mamed take out Johnson. That would be a huge win for him and add a big recent UFC fighter's name to his resume. Regarding Johnson making weight, that is another story. It is crazy that a wrestler can't cut weight. He was fighting at 170 and now he can't make 185. WTF.

Shlemenko vs. Khalidov would be a bad ass fight. KSW and Bellator should work this out if Shlemenko beats Falcao.

Neto vs. Khalidov would be sweet. Neto is great at BJJ and subbed Falcao not too long ago. He is also coming off of a sub. win over Brock Larson. KSW, M-1, Bellator, or ONE should sign him.

Falcao (if he were to beat Shlemenko) would be a very exciting fight in my opinion. It would be an interesting style match up and it would be an exciting fight.

Slava is beast and his fight with Falcao was real close. If Slava gets a win in his next couple fights, a fight with Khalidov would definitely be interesting.

Khalidov vs. Santiago III would be could for Khalidov to avenge his last loss. There first fight was sweet where Khalidov KOd Santiago from his back while on the ground. First time I ever seen that happen. Looked like a video game.

Vitor Vianna, I agree, is not the greatest fight right now for Khalidov but if he could put together a few wins, it would be a solid fight. This is the least entertaining fight on the list.

nodogoshi wrote:

bolsheet wrote:I understand what you're saying but the restrictions is the exclusive multifight deal what's for most for small/middle names is good, as many fights in year i don't think have anything to do witch ufc doing a power play, i just said that you can't compare mma vs. nfl, nba, etc. If you came as undrafted rookie and join a nfl team you have no sing bonus, or anything guaranteed and have a 3 year deal. As far the the money goes the top guys are really very underpaid but on the bottom i don't think is that bad. At the end of the day mma isn't a global or traditional sport yet when you read that mma will be big than soccer or even boxing isn't true as well the purses.

When you read reported paydays of guys on the low end of cards earning $5,000-$10,000 base pay, I have to say they are severely underpaid (some reported paydays are even in the $3000 range). If you are going to pay this low, the least you could do is let the guys be free to fight in other shows, where they might make comparable pay, maybe just $2000 or so, but at least they have a chance to fight and make money. Not that it's good to be paid so little to fight anywhere, but the fact that they are paid so low, and don't have the option to fight elsewhere, contributes to their troubles.

Yes, UFC is not NBA or NFL level. Although, if we go by the words of their president, they are "already bigger than NFL." Food for thought. It's obviously not true what the idiot promoter said, as they are nowhere near NFL, but maybe it's time for these guys to put their money where their mouth is? Or else, go back and sit in the corner of sportsdome, where they actually belong.

However, they have been doing cards which draw tens of millions in profits. There numbers have been down recently, but 1 million-plus-buys pay per views is some very serious cash. The fact that boxing pulls these kinds of numbers, and the A-level fighters pull $20 or $30 million paydays, whereas the UFC headliner gets $400,000 is very telling.

In reality, the UFC is as profitable as it is because it has built a model based on the systematic exploitation of its fighters. Fighters are paid way less than what they are worth. It is the UFC stranglehold which 'systematically' allows this sort of situation.

Finally, as per the Khalidov situation, we've seen plenty of fighters get completely screwed by Zuffa. There is no even playing field at Zuffa. Khalidov made a very smart move. If Zuffa paid him his worth, maybe he could consider it, but Zuffa does not play fair.

And the undrafted rookie argument doesn't fly, either. He's already built his name. Zuffa isn't the NBA, you said it yourself. The fact that Zuffa prefers to hype up their homegrown fighters doesn't make his monetary claims any less credible. (Then add in the record of Zuffa on screwing fighters, why in the hell would anybody in their right mind accept less-than guaranteed monies?)

Both Jds and Mir made 1M+ on purse only, not 400k, most of their money is undisclosed, there somepeople unhappy and are trying to do a Ali think to disclosed all the purse. So, they are not making 400k, but still very underpaid.

About the lower guys there is a good read, they are doing more than 3000:
http://mmajunkie.com/news/27015/with-fighter-pay-in-spotlight-ufc-vets-shed-light-on-life-in-octagons-middle-class.mma
I don't like to compare but the undecard guys on boxing (not couting maybe the co-main and the promoter guy who is fighting selected cans) don't make a decent money.
Khalidov is on a confortable position on KSW, but he's thinking to take a risk because the ufc money upside is too big (He said Bisping make 500k in garat. money).
The whole Dana White think, i don't belive anyone take him serious about the ufc brand have the most value than nba, nfl, etc.

20K is an absolute joke and an insult. I really hope no more top fighters sign with Zuffa, other promotions need these fighters. Personally I want more than one big promotion, especially promotions with a ring. MMA is too good to be dominated by a shady promotion owned by the Mafia. The fighters should have options and be able to make a living in different parts of the world.

To you guys who want Mamed in the UFC I want to ask.. How will other promotions be able to grow if Zuffa steals all their talents and stars?

What if Mamed loses 2 decisions to wall n stall wrestlers and is cut from the UFC? Mamed is a ring fighter and an entertainer, no need to sign with the ultimate cagefighting.

bolsheet wrote:

nodogoshi wrote:

bolsheet wrote:I understand what you're saying but the restrictions is the exclusive multifight deal what's for most for small/middle names is good, as many fights in year i don't think have anything to do witch ufc doing a power play, i just said that you can't compare mma vs. nfl, nba, etc. If you came as undrafted rookie and join a nfl team you have no sing bonus, or anything guaranteed and have a 3 year deal. As far the the money goes the top guys are really very underpaid but on the bottom i don't think is that bad. At the end of the day mma isn't a global or traditional sport yet when you read that mma will be big than soccer or even boxing isn't true as well the purses.

When you read reported paydays of guys on the low end of cards earning $5,000-$10,000 base pay, I have to say they are severely underpaid (some reported paydays are even in the $3000 range). If you are going to pay this low, the least you could do is let the guys be free to fight in other shows, where they might make comparable pay, maybe just $2000 or so, but at least they have a chance to fight and make money. Not that it's good to be paid so little to fight anywhere, but the fact that they are paid so low, and don't have the option to fight elsewhere, contributes to their troubles.

Yes, UFC is not NBA or NFL level. Although, if we go by the words of their president, they are "already bigger than NFL." Food for thought. It's obviously not true what the idiot promoter said, as they are nowhere near NFL, but maybe it's time for these guys to put their money where their mouth is? Or else, go back and sit in the corner of sportsdome, where they actually belong.

However, they have been doing cards which draw tens of millions in profits. There numbers have been down recently, but 1 million-plus-buys pay per views is some very serious cash. The fact that boxing pulls these kinds of numbers, and the A-level fighters pull $20 or $30 million paydays, whereas the UFC headliner gets $400,000 is very telling.

In reality, the UFC is as profitable as it is because it has built a model based on the systematic exploitation of its fighters. Fighters are paid way less than what they are worth. It is the UFC stranglehold which 'systematically' allows this sort of situation.

Finally, as per the Khalidov situation, we've seen plenty of fighters get completely screwed by Zuffa. There is no even playing field at Zuffa. Khalidov made a very smart move. If Zuffa paid him his worth, maybe he could consider it, but Zuffa does not play fair.

And the undrafted rookie argument doesn't fly, either. He's already built his name. Zuffa isn't the NBA, you said it yourself. The fact that Zuffa prefers to hype up their homegrown fighters doesn't make his monetary claims any less credible. (Then add in the record of Zuffa on screwing fighters, why in the hell would anybody in their right mind accept less-than guaranteed monies?)

Both Jds and Mir made 1M+ on purse only, not 400k, most of their money is undisclosed, there somepeople unhappy and are trying to do a Ali think to disclosed all the purse. So, they are not making 400k, but still very underpaid.

About the lower guys there is a good read, they are doing more than 3000:
http://mmajunkie.com/news/27015/with-fighter-pay-in-spotlight-ufc-vets-shed-light-on-life-in-octagons-middle-class.mma
I don't like to compare but the undecard guys on boxing (not couting maybe the co-main and the promoter guy who is fighting selected cans) don't make a decent money.
Khalidov is on a confortable position on KSW, but he's thinking to take a risk because the ufc money upside is too big (He said Bisping make 500k in garat. money).
The whole Dana White think, i don't belive anyone take him serious about the ufc brand have the most value than nba, nfl, etc.

I am aware of the bonuses, which is why I said base pay.

But, the bonuses are part of my point. These payments are non-contractual, so they are at the discretion of Zuffa. Moreover, they are non-disclosed, and therefore there is no transparency.

There's two points to consider. For one, when considering fighting in the UFC, you don't have the ability to consider this non-contractual pay. You have to depend on the good graces of Zuffa to provide it.

The other thing, is that it doesn't give commentators, such as ourselves, the ability to be aware of what the true figures are, which gives Zuffa no incentive to pay up to value.

Greater transparency would go a very long way at evening up the playing field between the fighters and Zuffa. The video you posted touches on this aspect.

Of course Zuffa is nowhere near the NFL or NBA. But, you played both sides of the fences on that point. You said that they aren't on that level, so we can't expect them to pay like they are. You also said that fighters like Khalidov should be treated as undrafted NBA players, hence no signing bonuses. This is very illogical, and contradictory on your part.

I wish Mamed had a contract like that Lombard had, but he don't have value on America yet to be paid like Bisping. If he is willing to take the risk, he needs to play dana game to get there (i'm not happy about it, but what i can do?). Was his choice to say he want to go to the ufc on the last ksw. At lest aways exist a Bellator and he maybe can do both (BFC and KSW).

Fisticuffa wrote: “... laughable,” says the source. “Who has he beaten really?”

Apparently the people working for zuffa are just common generic mma forum dwellers.

bolsheet wrote:If you are smart you can sell yourseft as UFC fighter and make more money in offseason, do seminars, teach classes, do fan expos, etc.

That has absolutely nothing to do with being a fighter.

The real issue is that you have to sell yourseft to dana white to make the GSP bucks.

You mean you have to spread yourself.

bolsheet wrote:I wish Mamed had a contract like that Lombard had, but he don't have value on America yet to be paid like Bisping. If he is willing to take the risk, he needs to play dana game to get there (i'm not happy about it, but what i can do?). Was his choice to say he want to go to the ufc on the last ksw. At lest aways exist a Bellator and he maybe can do both (BFC and KSW).

I get what you mean, but his only option isn't the UFC (as you too alluded to here).

He can stay in KSW. Or he could potentially fight in a Bellator tournament, or something of the sort.

His situation isn't ideal, but he is trying to make the best career decisions. He's in fact established himself already, however Zuffa isn't interested in paying fair worth. Their perspective is that his fights in Poland aren't worthy of contractual consideration. That's quite a shame. He deserves, and this is going very cheap, but as a beginning base pay, he should be getting at the very least $50-60,000, and guaranteed fights. Actually, I'd say more like $100,000, but based on the underpaid state of MMA fighters, I give the 50-60 figure.

Were fighters paid their true worth, I'd have to put the number higher, though it's hard to say exactly where it would be.

Actually, it should really depend on his position on the cards, of course. However, he warrants a co-main event type of spot for starters, which most certainly warrants a 50-60 k sort of pay. Although, I'd argue that the 6 figure range is more proper.

Main event ppv fighters, at least the headliner, should make 7 figures.

As I said, some boxers (Mayweather and Pac.) make $30 million. Other boxers crack the 8 figure mark. $8 million isn't an uncommon payday for an upper end (though not Floyd and Pac level) fighter in boxing. I'm sure plenty crack the $10 million mark though.

Examples being Shane Mosely. Dela Hoya surely cracked $10 million many times.

That being said, I can't think of other fighters that have made $10 million plus recently, but there probably are a couple. However. $2 or $3 million is a lot compared to average Zuffa pay (and again, we are talking base pay here--before taxes of course--but the untaxed bonuses stuff was all nonsense in case anyone doesn't know. If anyone bought that line, they don't know anything about how the IRS operates).

Let me revise my comment. He warrants a place on a PPV card. Maybe not a co-main event in his first fight. But, 3 or 4 fights down the card, still would warrant at a minimum the $50-60,000 range.

Moreover, you can't expect a level playing field in the UFC. They'll cut you over a twitter comment. Why? Probably to renegotiate your contract, truth be told.

However, if he was guaranteed a $150,000 contract for 3 fights over 14 months or so, I wouldn't be surprised if he wouldn't have taken it (with more money if he won his fights and advanced along the way). That's a cheap contract, and is just speculative, but I hope you see my point. I think that it's the lack of security though in the contracts which drives people like him (who already have a gig going) away.