Joe Rogan Calls Out For Guaranteed Fighter Pay

The topic of fighter pay in mixed martial arts (MMA) is currently a hotly-debated discussion.

Many UFC fighters find themselves at odds with the world’s dominant promotion, believing themselves to be vastly underpaid even though they put their health on the line in the pinnacle of the sport.

Part of the discord has to do with the UFC’s pay system, which includes both show and win money in order to make the most for any single bout, a system many have called antiquated as new UFC owners Endeavor (formerly WME-IMG) continue to implement after purchasing the company for a then-record-setting $4.2 billion in 2016. It worked for the Fertitta brothers, but when the sky-high numbers were released, the proverbial cat was out of the bag and many fighters called for improved pay.

One person who agrees that the old system has to go is longtime octagon commentator Joe Rogan, who voiced his displeasure at the show/win pay system due to judging inconsistencies during the JRE MMA Show podcast today (via MMA Mania):

“I just don’t like the win bonus. I don’t think anybody fights harder for it. … That to me is a real issue. I think a guy should be paid what they get paid. I think if you have a contract, that contract should be for ‘X’ amount of money.

“If you have points on the pay-per-view, that’s on top of that. But (I don’t like) the idea that your win or loss has to be in the hands of what we have deemed completely incompetent judges.”

And while the state athletic commissions presiding over the events may fight back versus the criticism, Rogan believes it’s simply insane to potentially have 50 percent of a fighter’s money on the line based on the whim of a person who doesn’t know anything about MMA:

“I’ve heard (blowback) from Athletic Commissions, but I say, ‘Go (expletive) yourself,’” Rogan said. “You have guys who train for months and months and months and someone who literally doesn’t understand martial arts is giving these guys a decision, a loss or a win. That’s 50 percent of their money. That’s crazy.”

It may be tough to deny that Rogan makes a valid point, as many top-level MMA bouts have come down to incredibly controversial judging decisions.

But not much appears to be changing in the UFC’s pay structure, and unfortunately, until the fighters themselves stop only talking and actually collectively bargain after so many attempts to organize have been shot down, nothing will change in that regard.

Rogan’s removal of the win bonus could be an integral part of the fighters’ plan to restructure their pay, but they’ll have to form a cohesive unit first.

Otherwise, little will change as Endeavor continues to pay back the monstrous loan they took out to buy the UFC two years back.