💸😳 Coach John Wood says the payout numbers released by CSAC are NOT TRUE and fighters on the MVP: Rousey vs. Carano card got paid much more:
“I'll tell you this right now, those payouts weren't even close. The undercard might have been a little realistic, but the main card and what those guys got paid, not even close.
“I'll tell you right now, on that card there are people that could retire and never have to work or fight again if they chose not to from what they got paid on that show.”
🎥 @Home_of_Fight / @JakeNoecker
Alex Pereira says that after signing a new eight-fight deal with the UFC, he didn’t care about vacating the light heavyweight title:
"Honestly, I just wanted to let go of my belt and fight heavyweights, maybe even fight for a belt. But even if it was a regular fight, I just expressed that I wanted to do a heavyweight fight, and they really took good care of me.
The way they gave me this last contract was so good that I left it open for them to do whatever they wanted—it didn’t matter."
Ronda Rousey says Dana White offered her the largest PPV deal in UFC history before the move to Paramount+, but wasn't willing to offer a guaranteed amount once the new deal was in place 😬
"They didn't want to set a precedent of giving me the guaranteed money I deserve... they just made a $7.7 billion deal at Paramount. It's in their best interest NOT to put on the best fights possible, but to spend as little money as possible so they can keep it.
Now that they sold the company, it's out of Dana's hands unfortunately and it's fallen onto Hunter Campbell and UFC corp. They don't care about putting on the best fights possible, they care about putting on the most cost effective fights possible."
(via @jimrome)
🚨 A few inside details of the UFCs issues with ESPN from @erichterrr/@nypost
▫️ The UFC are still extremely upset with ESPN over the PPV issues during the Pereira v Ankalaev card
▫️ UFC have an issue with ESPN because of their technology and ESPN feel like they’re not getting the PPV buys they expected from the deal
▫️ UFC will do “everything in their power” to get Netflix deal, Netflix are not a fan of the PPV model but are flexible
▫️ PPV numbers are apparently “way down”
▫️ “PPV points” are becoming pointless in fighter’s contracts because of how low PPV buys are currently
🚨| Joe Rogan has publicly retracted his comments suggesting Jon Jones has asked the UFC for $30 million dollars to fight Tom Aspinall.
“It is not true, Dana contacted me and said that rumor is bulls***.”
Rogan now claims that Jones is more likely to retire than fight Aspinall.
“Well, apparently Jon is thinking about retiring and he should.”
[via Joe Rogan Experience with Theo Von]
🚨| The Georgian Government have gifted Merab Dvalishvili 1 million Georgian Lari ($367k) after he became #UFC bantamweight champion. 💰
Merab plans to donate the money to charities helping fund MMA clubs in Georgia in the hopes of producing more Georgian UFC champions. 🇬🇪🏆
[per @iHeartGeorgius1]
😬💰Merab Dvalishvili reveals he kept working until 2020 because the UFC pay wasn't enough to quit his day job:
"I lost my first fight in the UFC and we know how the UFC pay, $10,000, and you still have to pay your manager, some expenses. I bought a car, I was driving a very old car and then no money.
In my second fight I got a bonus...I stopped working but when my next fight comes I was broke again because I spent all this money and I'm like now what. When I win the next one, I keep the money and start working because I don't want this to happen again"
🎥@jakesheildsajj 🔹
This is broken record material, but it's another situation where the importance of fighter pay stands out.
The cut on Irene Aldana is all-time bad. Arguably the worst in UFC history.
What did possible lifelong disfigurement earn her?
@lthomasnews $91,000 is my estimate (including venom sponsorship) based on her previously disclosed purses and the average disclosed purse for fighters on their 14th fight with the promotion.