Longtime UFC commentating veteran Joe Rogan has come forward with his thoughts concerning the fighter pay system within the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
UFC competitors, for the most part, are paid in two ways. Fighters earn “show money” for simply competing inside the octagon. However, other payments are dictated based on performance. For instance, a victory can mean that a fighter makes double their “show money.”
Speaking on his podcast the JRE MMA Show, Joe Rogan offered his thoughts on the matter.
“I just don’t like the win bonus. I don’t think anybody fights harder for it. … That to me is a real issue. I think a guy should be paid what they get paid. I think if you have a contract, that contract should be for ‘X’ amount of money. If you have points on the pay-per-view, that’s on top of that. But (I don’t like) the idea that your win or loss has to be in the hands of what we have deemed completely incompetent judges.”
“I’ve heard (blowback) from Athletic Commissions, but I say, ‘Go (expletive) yourself/’ You have guys who train for months and months and months and someone who literally doesn’t understand martial arts is giving these guys a decision, a loss or a win. That’s 50 percent of their money. That’s crazy.”
