John Nash reports on Bellator vs UFC financials & ...

[FrankieNYC]

Bellator revenue is about 1/35th of UFC & their revenue total is about 1/15th of UFC's profit.
He also tweeted the other day that Bellator is in the red (higher expenses since Coker took over)



Sadly, it is further apart than anybody thought.
MMA needs a healthy #2 to move forward. Hopefully things change

 

[sparkuri]

Thanks FrankieUFC

 

[FrankieNYC]

For those interested in UFC/Fertitta early years

Had no idea they had a $75m year in 2006 as far as profits
Holy shit did fighters get shafted as far as pay went 12 yrs ago

 

[jason73]

Thanks Cindy

 

[TheEmperorRises]

I'm guessing McDonald's still clears the most profit among burger companies, but they pay their employees next to nothing and if you think they make the best burger, you're sadly mistaken.

 

[MyrddinWild]

Sadly, it is further apart than anybody thought.
MMA needs a healthy #2 to move forward. Hopefully things change

For sure, but that's a tough one for sure with most of the top talent going almost immediately over to the UFC first chance they get. Guys like Askren who didn't make the move are very rare. Alvarez & Gilbert Melendez held out for a while before moving to the UFC, but again are very rare. (& look where they ended up)

Back in the day before UFC became the 200lb. Gorilla it has now become (or became in 2005 after the TUF show)... we had top talent sticking to other organizations such as Pride.... & to a lesser but still significant degree... Strikeforce & WEC. Strikeforce also had the advantage of the top women competing before the UFC even had WMMA. I remember being fascinated by WMMA because it was so rare... & they got some veiws from me. Of course now the UFC runs the WMMA top game.

Those organizations were all ready started & organized prior to the UFC blowing super huge... so their talent was staying around for the most part. For an organization to pop up in today's environment would be really hard when all their top guyz would just move right over to the UFC. Bellator is about the only hope imo... & they're obviously struggling to do that.

 

[FrankieNYC]

For sure, but that's a tough one for sure with most of the top talent going almost immediately over to the UFC first chance they get. Guys like Askren who didn't make the move are very rare. Alvarez & Gilbert Melendez held out for a while before moving to the UFC, but again are very rare. (& look where they ended up)

Back in the day before UFC became the 200lb. Gorilla it has now become (or became in 2005 after the TUF show)... we had top talent sticking to other organizations such as Pride.... & to a lesser but still significant degree... Strikeforce & WEC. Strikeforce also had the advantage of the top women competing before the UFC even had WMMA. I remember being fascinated by WMMA because it was so rare... & they got some veiws from me. Of course now the UFC runs the WMMA top game.

Those organizations were all ready started & organized prior to the UFC blowing super huge... so their talent was staying around for the most part. For an organization to pop up in today's environment would be really hard when all their top guyz would just move right over to the UFC. Bellator is about the only hope imo... & they're obviously struggling to do that.

Agreed, but your first sentence reads more like a competitor to UFC is needed.
IMO that might be where things went wrong.
To compare it to WWE since they bought WCW (like UFC with SF), TNA (on Spike like Bellator) decided to try to be competition instead of an alternative & they lost millions by over-paying for ex WWE names. In that time ROH built little by little every year & turned a profit. Now ROH is a healthy alternative to WWE & a place where wrestlers can make a living that don't fit the WWE machine.
I think an alternative is needed that is fiscally sound for the good of MMA.
Trying to beat the machine when the machine has 35x the revenue is a bit crazy.

 

[member 3289]

I'm guessing McDonald's still clears the most profit among burger companies, but they pay their employees next to nothing and if you think they make the best burger, you're sadly mistaken.

Lolwut?

Faulty Analogy : Department of Philosophy : Texas State University

 

[TheEmperorRises]

Lolwut?

Faulty Analogy : Department of Philosophy : Texas State University

No, it's apt.

I'm saying just because something brings in the most money, doesn't automatically make it the best in the market.

 

[FrankieNYC]

No, it's apt.

I'm saying just because something brings in the most money, doesn't automatically make it the best in the market.

Unless I missed it, I don't think anybody said that (or close to it).
So the counter-point (while accurate) came out of nowhere

 

[Wild]

For those interested in UFC/Fertitta early years

Had no idea they had a $75m year in 2006 as far as profits
Holy shit did fighters get shafted as far as pay went 12 yrs ago

And it's only gotten worse for fighters. It's truly unbelievable they refuse to band together & attempt to organize. They have no one else to blame but themselves, so any of them that are complaining but refuse to do something about it, can kindly stfu.

 

[FrankieNYC]

And it's only gotten worse for fighters. It's truly unbelievable they refuse to band together & attempt to organize. They have no one else to blame but themselves, so any of them that are complaining but refuse to do something about it, can kindly stfu.

I agree with premise of UFC under-paying, but the % in 2006 was far lower than the 17% now.
But I agree with the fighters that bitch but don't do shit are useless.
I remember Kos going off to Helwani about 5 years ago how fighters need to band together, etc.
Ariel stopped him & said something like 'as a veteran have you done anything to organize" & typical Kos said "no".

Best part about Leslie is she never bitches but takes action.
She says that fighters should have a say in their industry & an organized voice.
Others just bitch without context & come across badly.
Leslie speaks up but because she does it correctly, she is in good graces with UFC.

but ...........

 

[FrankieNYC]

@Wild
Another wild thing (pun intended) is that UFC did that with 19 events in 2006
In 2017 WWE made less than half the profit with 500+ events
No fighters were making big money in 2006, 5% to fighters might be generous
What a year Fertitta's had as far as $$$ & ROI

 

[TheEmperorRises]

Unless I missed it, I don't think anybody said that (or close to it).
So the counter-point (while accurate) came out of nowhere

It's implied.

 

[Wild]

@Wild
Another wild thing (pun intended) is that UFC did that with 19 events in 2006
In 2017 WWE made less than half the profit with 500+ events
No fighters were making big money in 2006, 5% to fighters might be generous
What a year Fertitta's had as far as $$$ & ROI

Tiny Swole going on ESPN and suggesting they pay out similar revenue splits at NBA, MLB, NFL was ridiculous.

 

[FrankieNYC]

@Wild
Another wild thing (pun intended) is that UFC did that with 19 events in 2006
In 2017 WWE made less than half the profit with 500+ events
No fighters were making big money in 2006, 5% to fighters might be generous
What a year Fertitta's had as far as $$$ & ROI

@Wild - You should have reminded me about this enlarged font. I mean I could get fired as a <cough> paid poster <cough> by UFC for posting how they underpay/underpaid