Jose Aldo Still Feels Devalued By The UFC, Wants More Money
Jose Aldo has money on his mind, in more ways than one…..
UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo will face Chad Mendes this Saturday (October 25th, 2014) in the main event of UFC 179. The two will rematch their UFC 142 showdown, which “Scarface” won via first round knockout. Both Aldo and Mendes have been particularly vocal about each other ahead of part deux, but more surprising are the antics of the champ.
We’ve heard an unprecedented amount of slander from the Nova Uniao product, not usually known for brash trash talking at all. Perhaps there is a little business influence on Aldo’s new demeanour? Check out what the champion said to Combate.com, translated by Bloody Elbow:
“I ask for financial valorization not only for me, some other fighters should have too. We give a lot for the company. I’ve seen this happening in the past, athletes were highly valued, and the company was not that big. Today, the company is very large and athletes devalued.”
This isn’t the first time the champion has spoke up about Zuffa pay and conditions, as he stated earlier in the year that it was insufficient. So the featherweight champion joins a number of other high profile names who feel the UFC underpays for what it makes off the backs of athletes. He continues:
“If you’re fighting well, you are valued by the company. But you are fired if you lose three straight fights. It’s hard to talk about numbers. You can watchWanderlei Silva and Dana White discussing numbers. I’m employed by them, I can see their side. But we’ll always seek for valorization. We aren’t monthly paid, that’s why we have to keep fighting. We always try give the best of us in training to go in the cage and have a good performance, thus giving millions for the company. We also want to have part of these millions.”
I’m not sure that these statements will do Aldo many favours if he loses against Chad Mendes on Saturday, but he may have a point here. After all, the UFC was recently valued at $1.65 billion U.S. Could the UFC brand be underpaying their fighters on an extortionate level, or should champions like Aldo focus on getting some finishes to earn that extra cake?
