The issue of fighter pay has been one of the biggest ones in the sport of MMA, especially in the UFC. There’s a huge pay disparity between the top and the low earners, even though they may be equally talented. So, how do we fix this issue with payouts? Well, welterweight star Joaquin Buckley weighed in on the situation, and interestingly, he had a solution for Dana White to solve this issue.
Dana White and Co. recently engaged in a massive firing spree this year, which also saw an ailing fighter, Ariane Da Silva, who found out about a small benign tumor in her pituitary gland. She had fought 14 times under the UFC banner, with a 6-8 record, but in the wake of her UFC 316, she joined others in bidding farewell to the company. However, fighters getting released on a large scale isn’t something new in the Las Vegas-based promotion. And while it’s sad to see fighters getting released, Joaquin Buckley claims this was bound to happen because the roster is stacked to the gills.
“It is a hard problem, but I’m gonna tell you this right now. It is my personal opinion… I think they signed too many people, right? And even though we got blessed in the COVID era,” Joaquin Buckley stated during a recent interview with MMA legend Demetrious Johnson on YouTube. “With me, just working at Walgreens, my brother just being my coach at the time, right? We had no gym… We was outside in the park with it. I still got the blessing and got signed into the UFC.”
Through the aforementioned statement, Joaquin Buckley implied that, according to him, getting into the UFC has become easier for fighters. And while staying in the promotion is a whole other ball game, ‘New Mansa’ has suggested Dana White make the path to the world’s premier MMA promotion tougher. This, according to Buckley, will ensure fighters get paid more since the roster will be less crowded.
“They didn’t know who they had, who they signed, right? But I think it’s a little too easy to get into the UFC… The only backfire is to stay in this b—-h,” Joaquin Buckley added. “I believe if they made it harder to get into the UFC, that’s when you see guys really making the money that they deserve. Right now, it’s just too many people.”
May 4, 2023, Newark, NJ, NEWARK, NJ, United States: Newark NJ – May 4: Dana White speaks to the press and the fans at UFC288 – Sterling vs Cejudo – press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz at Prudential Center on May 4, 2023 in Newark, NJ Newark, NJ United States – ZUMAp175 20230504_zsa_p175_038 Copyright: xLouisxGrassex
In the meantime, UFC welterweight fighter Kevin Holland has also offered his take on the fighter pay dilemma. And you won’t believe this! It stands in stark contrast to Joaquin Buckley’s approach. Let’s check out that front.
Kevin Holland’s solution to the fighter pay issue in Dana White’s promotion
When Dana White commented on the ongoing debacle regarding the pay issue, he kept it brief, claiming, “Believe me, these guys get paid what they’re supposed to get paid. They eat what they kill.” And guess what? Kevin Holland seems to agree with the UFC CEO. He even claims to be tired of people talking about fighter pay, and so, he shared a solution, which was for the discontented fighters to be more active.
“Half these people are running around talking about, ‘We don’t get paid enough. We don’t get paid enough. We don’t get paid enough.’ You don’t fight enough,” said Kevin Holland last year. “At the end of the day, you want to get paid for s–t you don’t do. F—ing sound like a bum to me. Just remember, I wasn’t the bum like the rest of these guys.”
Kevin Holland definitely has a valid point about the benefits of fighting more frequently for better pay. However, Joaquin Buckley’s solution is quite an intriguing one. Is it time for Dana White to put his plan into action? Share your opinions in the comments below!
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