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Aldo wants UFC fighters to receive monthly salaries

3K views 51 replies 18 participants last post by  HexRei 
#1 ·
Aldo wants UFC fighters to receive monthly salaries, thinks union could 'protect athletes'

Jose Aldo believes a monthly salary fighters would be a good way to deal with all of the expenses a fighter must go through, and he still wants fighters to unionize.

Vitor Belfort already brought this subject up before the Reebok deal first started, but now UFC featherweight champion, Jose Aldo, fully supports the idea of fighters receiving a monthly salary to help pay the bills, which according to him, could amount to expensive numbers.

Even though Aldo himself lives in a comfortable situation, he says things can get rather difficult for those who are just beginning.

"I support this idea, of course." Aldo told Combate. "In the NFL, Nike makes the uniforms, but teams still pay their athletes, the same goes for NBA. Life gets hard for fighters who are just starting and earn no pay-per-view money. We spend a lot with trainers, sparring partners, etc. Nobody in this day and age goes to a gym to be punched in the face for free. Whether we like it or not, we are susceptible to injuries which could leave us sidelined for a long time. That harms the fighter who only gets paid when he fights. If you're hurt, there's no income. It's good to have sponsors, because that's what keeps a fighter going."

Because of all those matters, Aldo still would like to see a fighter's union as he's already said before.

"Nobody has spoken to me about a union, but it would be great. It's a way to protect athletes, it could really help. Nobody considered this. Fighters are too disunited because rivalries between gyms in the past. Of course this is not as strong as before, but it still happens. It's like this, if I don't fight for a price tomorrow, somebody else will accept that money."

While Aldo sees a problem and knows what needs to be done in order to start fixing things, he doesn't see himself as a leader to this revolution since the life of a champion is already too busy as it is.

"Today, I can't see myself responsible for this. I need to live the fight, I'm a champion and I can't put that aside. My life as an athlete is still strong so it's hard for me to do this today, but maybe one day, once I'm done fighting. I'll look into this and together with others, we could arrange something to help new fighters."

Meanwhile, Jose Aldo prepares for his title unification bout against interim champion, Conor McGregor, which goes down on December 12 at UFC 194 in Las Vegas.
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2015/10/...alaries-union-could-protect-athletes-mma-news
 
#2 ·
I usually cringe when Aldo opens his mouth but this is an interesting concept.

It would be a very easy way for the UFC to get fighters onside.

According to reports the UFC made approx $200 million in net profit last year (and that was a dud year).
So even if they made a token gesture like saying every fighter would receive $1,000 a month on top of their contracted payments and sponsorship while under the UFC tenure it would only cost them $6.1million (based on the 510 fighters they have on their books according to wiki).

That's not going to kill the business and would alleviate a lot of the pressure being put on them to make a union etc. Makes perfect sense to me.
 
#3 ·
Hmm...salary. Would be nice. Funny...not too long ago fighters were making $1,500. It's too bad the pioneers don't have much to show for it; Coleman, Ken Shamrock, Kerr, etc.
 
#5 ·
So Aldo wants change but doesn't have the balls to actually fight for it? Amusing. Anyone can say anything, anyone can say they don't like something or want it changed. It means nothing if you don't actually pop your head up and fight for it. He's a champion so he can't do it? Uh, wouldn't having a champion fight for it mean more than someone else? Retired fighters don't mean shit, and lower end guys are far too scared to stand up, their careers just starting. The only person (assuming they had the balls, which Aldo does not) who should be standing up are the champions, the ones leading the fighters, the ones at the top, the ones with the loudest voice.

Aldo is all talk, nothing more.
 
#7 ·
Fine, except for champions or championship fights, takeaway win & bonus money from fighter pay & spread out payments for fight purses throughout the year. Instead of the possibility of making $100k+ for fighting 2-3 times a year. depending on vested years of service for the UFC, you are now guaranteed only $36-75k spread out over 12 months. I bet the fights would be really entertaining then...

I doubt many, if any, would sign up for that.

By the way, since Zuffa isn't a public company, I wonder how anyone came up with the $200 mil number for profits.
 
#11 ·
Above all I try to call a spade a spade.

Aldo has broke mentally. He doesn't believe in his skills. So much talk about money right now. I guess he has a platform, but I never see him speak on it much in the flesh. Always through some random interview. It is hard with the language barrier. American fighters who do a lot of interviews or have strong opinions I can sort of read the manurisms and tone. But translation leaves a lot to be desired. Language isn't just words on a paper.

But from my gut I feel Aldo is slowly folding and has totally lost focus.

Beat Conor, have no one in your way and knock of UFC's golden boy.....THEN speak on this if you truly feel for upcomers and the sport. In his early years Aldo was a straight killer. Didn't matter what you said. Didn't matter what circumstances. He came off as a poor dude happy to be lighting fools up.

I'm all for discussing UFC's lack of pay. But focus on the biggest fight of your life and biggest pay day. You pull out of so many fights......yet WHERE IS THE FOCUS?

I can't believe I am saying this right now at all. But look at Mouse Johnson. Knows he isn't a draw. Has got pissy because of his lack of mainstream fans. But goes out gets better every time and wrecks fools.

This really is a defining fight for Aldo. Whether you believe in McGregor or not, Aldo's back is up against the wall in a few ways. I'm not watching the fight for Conor's recycled lines. I'd like to see if the current P4P best holds up in a tough spot. Like Anderson did with Chael. Or maybe how GSP upped his overall game 10 fold by losing to Serra. Or if Conor takes the soul of the best FW of all time, similar to how DIll took it from Barao. Or how Werdum seemingly wanted it more than Cain....the unbeatable HW. That interests me. At a fork in the road in one of the best's career.

I'm genuinely scared for the lack of IV for both fighters. But especially Aldo. I believe Conor wants to go to LW quick because he knows without an IV it will be tough. Aldo has had a hard cut for years now.
 
#15 ·
I have a feeling Aldo is going to off the rails Wandy style when Conor is done with him.

This ain't going to be pretty.

It's amazing how this quiet spoken, humble champ has become such a demonized figure since McGregor stepped on the scene.

That's if the fight even happens any ways, he might go full Wandy and not even get the fight and be released from the UFC and start uploading Brazilian rants on Youtube.
 
#16 ·
Did you read the OP or you just got trolled by the posts of the people who didn't? Because Aldo is issuing a public opinion on something that would be beneficial to "other fighters", specially those in the begining of their careers.

You of all people, who more than anyone around is so vocal defending moral qualities in humanity should be aware of what's going on. It is at least strange seeing you bashing on a fighter who is willing to see others having a better share while worshiping another who sells himself as one of the most selfish greedy persons on this sport.
 
#23 ·
I'm sure a lot of people want to get paid before the job is done but if a builder fks up his back during construction he's not getting paid for the 3 weeks he's off.

Fighters should get paid when they fight, pretty simple. That being said, there's maybe some opportunity for them to get paid for attending official UFC things like press conferences. Maybe they do though. I know "philosophically" they do but I mean directly. Pay per appearance.
 
#24 ·
Many of these guys/girls are making literally less than a builder, not mentioning their careers are way shorter and unstable than any builder and a builder won't get hurt unless an accident happens, where a fighter getting hurt is not only a reality during the whole camp, but is the ultimate goal of his adversary in the cage.

When you are in a camp, this is not "before" the job is done, you are already working on your job and that includes keeping in shape, eating well, cutting weight. The job of the fighter does not consist in fighting only.
 
#25 ·
Aldo is one of the few guys out there with the stones to talk about fighter pay, and he has done plenty of times. None of the other champs do, and usually when a fighter does say something like Schaub DW will go out and try and destroy him.
Its a very rare man that takes on the UFC in public especially when he has something to lose. Credit to Jose for standing up for his fellow fighters.
 
#38 ·
Like Rampage says UFC = U Fight Cheap

Salaries don't really work in MMA what with all the 1-5 fight guys, but the fact that guys don't have pensions for the long termers is a travesty. It's going to be as bad as pro-wrestling where you will see an old event from 20 years ago and half of the people are dead.
 
#39 ·
UFC salaries = A fighter like Tim Kennedy who bad mouths the company constantly getting paid every single month despite not wanting to fight for them again. He signed the contract but won't fight and the UFC doesn't want him fighting elsewhere as he's under contract. So essentially, you think it'd be just swell if the UFC had to pay Kennedy while this was happening.
 
#46 ·
You guys need to watch a bit more TUF I reckon. Listen to these dudes speak. They are sitting there saying this opportunity means EVERYTHING to them. This is their chance to provide a future for their family. This is everything to them.

I like that. I like that the guys I watch treat this life it's sink or swim. It's easy for me to say on the couch but it's easy for you to say dudes should get paid X amount from your couch too. The guys we see want to give it their absolute all because if they don't, they probably need to pick a new career path. I like that. I don't get why you guys dont.

Also, watch more boxing. The horrible shape of boxing is what you guys want MMA to be. You start paying dudes 50k in their first UFC fight you start seeing guys who no longer NEED to accept fights.
 
#47 ·
We have trainees in our company saying that opportunity means EVERYTHING to them too. Paying a minimum salary won't make no one lazier, they will be expected to deliver just the same or they'll hit the road fast.

No one is speaking about giving away 50k in a first fight, you are and that again drags the conversation away from the point. Why you keep bringing crazy examples that do not apply?

And we don't use shitty examples of neighbor promotions/companies when we want an upgrade in the package, this is what businessmen do. The line "oh, you are complaining here, the next door company is worse..." is an old way of intimidating the employees and demotivate them from bringing ideas that would make their lives better, because these sharks worry with their profits only and have no interest hearing about YOUR problems.
 
#52 ·
I can't see this idea working, but something needs to be done. I still have a very bitter taste in my mouth about the Reebok deal, the UFC needs to be giving their fighters more opportunities to earn money, not less.
 
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