Mitrione hopes to help 'change the UFC'

[Wild]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1alYl4PVBiQ


Matt Mitrione is trying to change the way the MMA world does business.

Recently, some of the free agent signings for Bellator have been vocal in the media about the benefits of setting off from the UFC, citing more financial opportunities and more flexibility. In an interview with Inside MMA, Mitrione sat down with Mauro Ranallo and Bas Rutten to talk about his reasons for leaving the premier fighting promotion.

"The biggest part [of leaving the UFC] isn't the money part, it's the freedom to go get your own money. You can now express the fact that the emperor is not wearing any clothes...It's sponsorships, it's being able to voice an opinion without fear of getting your back end bonus that may or may not come anyway."

The UFC has a somewhat dubious history of dealing with malcontents; for instance they released Jon Fitch for a total of 24 hours for refusing to sign a lifetime release of his likeness rights to be used in UFC video games. For Mitrione, a boisterous and outspoken personality, there is a very obvious benefit to not being subject to those kinds of repercussions. However, as with all things, money was a major factor, specifically the Reebok deal which effectively ended a majority of fighter sponsorships.

"It's just in general like, who the hell are you to take away my money, my sponsorship money, to take that away from me without even a conversation about it? Knowing that we don't fight hard for our contract money because the contract money was far outweighed by the sponsor money. But now all of the sudden you take that away from me and now I'm depending upon the 8 and 8 [thousand dollar, show and win purses] that I never fought on and now it's going to be tooth and nail to get it bumped up to 12 and 12 or 10 and 10. We had no say in that and that's what hurt."

LINK: Morning Report: Matt Mitrione hopes to 'cause a change' in the way the UFC does business

 

[dacofty]

Props to Matt, I hope he shows that the UFC isnt the only place to feed the family. Hell in Vegas theres a buffet on every corner

 

[Clappin'Daddys]

I'm glad Matt is speaking out. The wealth distribution needs to be more even.

I'm not saying that bellator is a safe heaven but when there are two competing orgs, they tend to keep each other in check for the most part.

 

[Silverball]

I hope Matt can string together some victories because he's a well spoken representative of the sport and his points in regards to the way fighters are treated is spot on, and I'd hate to see him lose that platform if fans begin to view him as a bitter B level fighter, which is how the UFC will likely spin it the first chance they get.

 

[Pitbull9]

Very good point about putting that money in escrow so to speak. Greed will be the downfall of Zuffa, not the UFC.

 

[FadeToBlack]

That was pretty bold of Mitrione. Not only did he actually drop dollar figures (40-60K in sponsorship for a fight, he said) he also used a base contract of 8/8k which shows you the contrast in just how insignificant the Zuffa money is to the sponsor money. But then Zuffa tries to create dependency from the fighters like a drug dealer by dangling these fight night bonuses in front of their nose. All this shit creates an environment where fighters have this near Pavlovian reaction to whatever Zuffa wants to pay them, whenever the fuck they feel like offering them a fight. Dana's got all the non-top 5 fighters by the applebags and he can just pimp these guys whenever and however he likes like little whores. Until Coker came.

The problem is many fighters think if they play hardball with Zuffa and don't just accept the kibbles 'n bits that Uncle Dana tosses at their face, they won't be able to get back in the UFC in the future if they got on their bad side. And then what'll they do? They'll be forced into the real world trying to earn a living teaching jiu jitsu classes or down in someone's basement sucking Dakota Cockring's dick in front of cameras to afford enough money to eat catfood. What a fucking rigged game Zuffa has, it's unreal. Sweatshop White out there in the fields working his little indentured servant army, dressed in costume like ninja turtles. LOL!