CM Punk: White is ‘more generous’ than Vince McMahon

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Zi Nazi
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Asked to compare and contrast the leaders of their respective sports entertainment organizations, CM Punk had some kind words for Dana White’s generosity.

There are few fighters in the world who have had so close a view as CM Punk of two major figures who sit firmly atop the ‘sports entertainment’ world: Dana White & Vince McMahon. Punk’s short lived UFC run may have been little more than a vanity project in comparison to his time with the WWE, but it gave the pro wrestling star (and BJJ blue belt) a good look at how the world’s largest mixed martial arts organization does business.

In a recent interview on Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette, Punk compared and contrasted his experiences working with Vince McMahon and Dana White. And while he noted that both men are ‘right wing’ weirdos, from the former WWE champion’s standpoint he saw a lot more generosity from White than his pro wrestling counterpart.

“I think there’s levels to it,” Punk said, comparing the two men (transcript via The Body Lock). “Obviously you can draw that they’re both right wing, the word I’ll use is weirdo, because obviously they vote based on what’s good for their pocketbook.

“If I really had to compare and contrast, I would say Dana is more generous. Dana does a lot of stuff for the fighters behind the scenes. I think there’s a lot of locker room money that people don’t know about and he gets a lot of flak for [not paying fighters enough]. That being said, I do also think fighters need to get paid a whole hell of a lot more.

“But a lot of that time when he lashes out when people are complaining about pay and unionization, it’s because he knows, ‘hey, I just gave that guy $250,000 under the table’ but you can’t talk about it. But he should still pay people more and fighters need to get together and unionize anyway.”
The UFC’s locker room bonuses have been a long reported feature of the promotion. Fighters like Frank Mir and Lyoto Machida reportedly banked checks as big as $1,000,000 (in Mir’s case) for exceptional fight night performances. Joe Silva described the more regular practice of handing out extra cash during his testimony as part of the long running class action lawsuit against the UFC.

“And I’d say, here’s what happened in every fight, and here’s money that’s not knockout of the night or fight of the night, here’s extra bonuses that I think these guys are worth,” Silva explained. “And I would make suggestions: this guy lost, but it was a good fight, he did that, I think he should get 3,000 extra; I think that that guy should get 10,000 extra. And I’d go down the whole card.”

On the flip side, much like the UFC, the WWE has made itself notorious for its strict control over how athletes can monetize their likenesses and skills. In 2015 Forbes reported that WWE wrestlers made anywhere from $50,000 to $5 million a year. However, reportedly, wrestlers can also earn bonuses for exceptional in-ring performances. Word is that Triple H took home $600,000 over one year just in bonus money alone.

How that all balances out in terms of actual pay as a percentage of revenue for athletes is a little murkier. The 2015 Forbes report pegged WWE athlete salaries at around $50 million for the whole roster, accounting for just 7.6% of the company’s annual revenue. By comparison in that same year, the UFC reportedly spent $99 million on athlete compensation, or 16% of their total revenue.

At least on the surface, it like there may be some truth to Brooks’ assertion that when it comes to money, the UFC is a more generous place to work.


Dana White is ‘more generous’ than Vince McMahon - CM Punk gives props to UFC boss
 
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RaginCajun

The Reigning Undisputed Monsters Tournament Champ
Oct 25, 2015
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It's really a relief to know that Mr. Punk got paid alot extra for those barn burners he put on in the cage because how else was he gonna feed his family on a puny 500k per fight.
dana-white-jesus.jpg
 
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SongExotic2

ATM 3 CHAMPION OF THE WORLD. #FREECAIN
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Jan 16, 2015
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Oral sessions sounds right.
Hahaha glad someone else saw that.


In regards to the topic, I think Mr punk has a warped view based on his status when he was there. I'm pretty sure Mayweather got a fair few bucks when he chinned the big show. And iirc James Toney got a chunk of change to get his ass kicked by randy (who I nearly had to beat up once)



It's absolutely about marketing and name. It's not proportional to skillset or record, it's about who the UFC wants to push. I'd wager Jim miller and Joe lauzon earned more from fotn bonuses than Thier regular purse.

I'd also wager sage northcutt got a bigger base pay than both.

That should tell you enough.
 

Qat

QoQ
Nov 3, 2015
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Hahaha glad someone else saw that.


In regards to the topic, I think Mr punk has a warped view based on his status when he was there. I'm pretty sure Mayweather got a fair few bucks when he chinned the big show. And iirc James Toney got a chunk of change to get his ass kicked by randy (who I nearly had to beat up once)



It's absolutely about marketing and name. It's not proportional to skillset or record, it's about who the UFC wants to push. I'd wager Jim miller and Joe lauzon earned more from fotn bonuses than Thier regular purse.

I'd also wager sage northcutt got a bigger base pay than both.

That should tell you enough.
You are not wrong, but I think you are putting too much stock on Dana actually having a plan instead of many of these bonuses being born out of a mood.
 

Robbie Hart

All Biden Voters Are Mindless Sheep
Feb 13, 2015
49,704
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Note to self, double check the name of your podcast by asking a wider audience other than your ass kissing friends before actually naming the fucking show
 

jason73

Yuri Bezmenov was right
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Jan 15, 2015
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i am sure the cocktail waitresses and blackjack dealers at the palms would say he is pretty generous too. im pretty sure your average fight night undercard fighters would think different
 

Jesus X

4 drink minimum.
Sep 7, 2015
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i am sure the cocktail waitresses and blackjack dealers at the palms would say he is pretty generous too. im pretty sure your average fight night undercard fighters would think different
he also ...ahem...stiffed...that Brazilian hooker that was trying to extort him probably after a night of Michael jordan esque degenerate gambling.
 

Tuc Ouiner

Posting Machine
May 19, 2016
1,816
1,467
The fighting arts/rasslin business has always been a cesspool. People like to watch black ants fight red ants. Cobras fight mongoose, dogs and roosters tear each other apart. It's all dark money. Let's face it, all lowest common denominator stuff. Just show me the money and blood.
 

Onetrickpony

Stay gold
Nov 21, 2016
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Vince is nice to company men, Dana is nice to people who can make him money.

No surprises here.