Will the UFC Be Forced to Start Dishing Out More Money to Keep Their Fighters?

There is a very obvious trend occurring in the UFC right now - many fighters are griping about how much money they are receiving for their fights.

There is no doubt that the UFC is growing like crazy right now. PPV revenues are growing and will one day outearn even the biggest of boxing fights, merchandising sales are growing, television revenues are growing, and live gate receipts are growing (UFC 83 in Montreal just sold out).

This is both good and bad for the management of the UFC. Good in that the amount of revenues being generated by the company are multiplying at an astounding rate, and bad in that their stars are going to start demanding more money en masse.

We have already started to see it happen. Tito Ortiz is about to fight his last bout in the UFC due to disagreements over money.

Randy Couture has left the UFC because of disagreements over money.

Now Tim Sylvia is openly griping about how much money he is making, and is threatening to go somewhere else.

Sylvia seems to be particularly perturbed by how much money Brock Lesnar received for his first UFC fight, even though Sylvia maintains that he is a better fighter than Lesnar is.

This is definitely true, however this point is completely irrelevant. Lesnar was brought into the UFC because he is a big draw. I can guarantee you that Lesnar would generate more dollars as the headliner for a card than Sylvia would. Who cares how good of a fighter Sylvia is? It's all about PPV revenues and gate receipts. Doesn't it make sense that if a fighter brings in more revenues to the company, he should be paid more?

I imagine that UFC management isn't stupid enough to short-change their biggest stars, especially if revenues continue to increase. However, I suspect that the egos of the fighters play a big role in them deciding to leave the UFC. If Chuck Liddell makes 500k a fighter, they probably say to themselves, then why shouldn't I? I am a better fighter than him, with a better record.

Again, completely irrelevant. Liddell is one of the company's biggest draws, and should therefore receive more money than other fighters. Talent doesn't determine how much you are paid in the UFC. Popularity does. The UFC would be stupid to pay Brock Lesnar less than Tim Sylvia, when Lesnar brings in substantially more revenues for the company.
I suspect that if fighters like Couture and Sylvia make good on their threats and leave the UFC for good, they will not like what is waiting for them. Namely, less exposure and less money. Fighters like Randy Couture risk fading into obscurity. As good as promotions like M-1 are, they are nowhere near the visibility of the UFC. With visibility comes dollars.

UFC fighters need to realize that certain fighters will draw more viewers and spectators. These fighters, though possibly less talented than others, will be paid more because they create more revenue for the UFC. The sooner they realize that, the better.

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