Jorge Masvidal thinks fighter pay needs to change, but not across the board.
‘Gamebred’ has been around the sport long enough to understand what goes on behind the scenes and he recently opened up about his views on compensation during a chat with Jake Paul, who’s never been shy about taking aim at how UFC pays its fighters.
Paul, a YouTuber turned professional boxer, has built his career on calling out big names in combat sports. Last year, he took aim at Dana White’s organisation again, reacting to the UFC’s massive $7.7 billion deal with Paramount by criticising how little of that money seemed to reach the athletes.
Masvidal responded by saying that while some fighters do deserve more money, especially those who fill up arenas or headline major cards like Conor McGregor or Jon Jones, it doesn’t make sense for everyone across the board to be paid more.
Jorge Masvidal explains the real UFC pay issue to fighter pay advocate Jake Paul
Masvidal has become one of the UFC’s bigger earners, but it took him a long time to reach that level. He spent six years grinding through the ranks before his breakout.
His path through every stage of the UFC’s pay structure gives him a unique perspective. Speaking to Paul on his YouTube channel, Masvidal pointed out where he thinks the real problem lies.
There’s been plenty of talk about entry-level contracts in the UFC, but Masvidal doesn’t think the starting salaries are an issue, even if some fighters come in making just $10k.
“It’s good money if you do get there. But where we do need a dramatic change is more like when you’re in the top 10, top 15,” Masvidal said.
“In the beginning, I don’t have a problem with it. You’ve got to earn your keep, bro. You have to show that you are the cream that has risen from these new signings.
“Now you beat all your classmates, now you’re in the better tier,” he continued. “That’s when they’ve gotta start getting paid more. Because you get caught up in the system sometimes.
“But the guys in the beginning, we’ve gotta find out who’s good. You can’t just be giving out the bag to some dude because he’s 6-0, and then you look at his record and he’s fought nothing but cans.
“You’ve gotta keep them hungry at the stage.”
The topic is going nowhere anytime soon as it continues to ramp up further after Dana White recently claimed fighters actually prefer getting paid less compared to what they’d make under NBA or NFL CBA percentages.
Jake Paul guarantees a minimum of $40k pay for all fighters on the Rousey vs Carano card
Paul has often pointed to the low-end UFC contracts as a problem, with some fighters needing side jobs or even turning to crowdfunding to get by.
So it wasn’t a surprise when he announced that fighters on his card would be paid significantly more, with no one earning less than $40,000.
Compared to the UFC’s structure, that’s a notable difference. And on top of that, the likes of Ronda Rousey, Nate Diaz and Francis Ngannou are all expected to earn more than they would have under their old contracts with Dana White’s promotion.
The event will stream live on Netflix this Saturday, featuring a main event between MMA legends Gina Carano and Ronda Rousey.
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